Rickie Fowler is returning to the Masters for the first time in three years – and having missed out on competing at Augusta his decision to reject LIV Golf comes as no surprise
Rickie Fowler will compete at the Masters for the first time in three years next month, following his recent resurgence up the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Six-time PGA Tour winner Fowler missed the previous three trips to Augusta National after struggling for form. The 35-year-old fell as far as 160th in the ranking list in 2022, a world away from his previous spot inside the world’s top-five players back in 2016.
In 2023, the American star regained his form during the campaign and won his first PGA Tour title in over four years by winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July.
His comeback to winning brought him back up in the rankings, securing a crucial spot at the Masters after being away for a long time.
Fowler missed going to Augusta last year and expressed his disappointment, but seeing his progress in the world rankings gave him hope of being in future Majors and returning to Augusta next year.
“But yeah, it was a bummer. I ended up watching a decent amount as I think everyone does. I was out playing golf and I watched some of the live streaming stuff on my phone, but that was some motivation to be back.”
This time around he will of course not have to settle for a mobile stream after playing his way back in. Missing the majors was clearly a sore point for the American, making his decision to turn down LIV Golf unsurprising. The PGA Tour star had been heavily linked with a move to the breakaway league, backed to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm.
“Despite speculation, the American golfer decided to stay loyal to the Tour and reaffirmed his decision during the recent debut of season two of Full Swing.” “Joining LIV was not the right decision for me,” the six-time PGA Tour champion expressed to the Netflix crew.
“I am not motivated by money when I play, I am motivated by the desire to compete against the top players in the world, and I think the Tour is the ideal platform for that. I hope it remains that way.”
Moving to LIV would definitely have resulted in the American player losing his place in the four major tournaments, as the Saudi-backed series does not offer Official World Golf Ranking points. Many top players from LIV will not be participating in the upcoming prestigious event in Georgia next month.
Talor Gooch, the champion of the breakaway circuit in 2023, is among the notable players who will be absent, along with respected European golfers Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, who will also miss the opportunity to compete for the coveted green jacket.