Rickie Fowler Takes Second in 2018 Aggregate Major Title

ST. LOUIS — Rickie Fowler was one of just 11 golfers this season to make the cut at all four major championships in 2018. He finished with a combined major score of 11 under, which was one back of Justin Rose’s 12 under. Fowler strung together the following finishes at the season’s four majors.

• Masters: 2
• U.S. Open: T20
• Open: T28
• PGA: T12

Fowler had a chance on Sunday at Bellerive in the final round of the PGA Championship as he teed off in the penultimate pairing, but after opening with 65 on Thursday, he saw his score rise by two strokes every day. He closed on Sunday with a 71 which left him eight back of winner Brooks Koepka and two strokes over the field average in the final round. It was the 13th (!) top-15 finish at majors of Fowler’s career.

He said going into the day that it would be a different feel from him than in years past, but the result at the end of the week was much of the same.

“It’s just how comfortable and how confident I’ll feel tomorrow vs. maybe when you look at three, four, five years ago,” said Fowler. “It will be fun. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to take a solid round of golf from whoever’s going to win tomorrow because there’s a lot of guys. It’s not going to be given to anyone.”

Most times in top-10 after 36 holes of a major since beginning of 2011 (including this week):

Dustin Johnson 13
Rory McIlroy 11
Rickie Fowler 10

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) August 11, 2018

I continue to believe that if you put yourself in the hunt this many times over the course of a career, you can’t help but break through at some point. I felt that way about Sergio Garcia, and I feel that way about Rickie Fowler.

Just for fun … if the second place finishers (and I’m picking the most fun of the ones tied) were the winners in the majors this year:

Masters: Rickie Fowler
U.S. Open: Tommy Fleetwood
Open: Rory McIlroy
PGA: Tiger Woods

— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) August 13, 2018

It’s no guarantee, of course, that Fowler will win one, and despite his relative youth, every year sees more and more studs at younger and younger ages. Winning majors, in other words, is not becoming easier. Winning two or three majors in this era is a ridiculous proposition.

Still, Fowler gets derided a lot for not being able to win the big one, and yet he’s sustained a preposterous level of success across myriad courses throughout the year. You don’t get a trophy or a jacket for that, but you do get to keep your world ranking, make the Ryder Cup team and continue taking shots at getting that first big one.