Sport

World Cup of Golf: How American Rickie Fowler is shaking up golf

  • 10 reading now

With his snapback Puma cap, regular all-orange outfit, army of Twitter followers and Red Bull backing, Rickie Fowler is launching a one-man assault on golf's dowdy image.

Hipsters and fashionistas have come and gone in the pro game, but few have had the marketability, popularity and ability to effect change like the 27-year-old Californian.

In huge demand: Ricky Fowler in action for the United States during the Ryder Cup.
In huge demand: Ricky Fowler in action for the United States during the Ryder Cup. Photo: AP

On the PGA Tour, often the province of privilege, he's an outlier. He came to the game after a promising junior career in, of all things, motocross and dirt bikes. He can't wait to do his first sky-dive and describes himself as an adrenalin junkie, not a phrase you'd associate with most tour players whose idea of a big night out might be an in-house movie and mug of Horlicks.

He is challenging the norms in other ways. Recently, the American designed for Puma a new line of high-top skinny-fit golf joggers, complete with velcro strap around the ankles, an innovation so at odds with the conventional spiked brogue as to be from another planet.

Not afraid to be different: Rickie Fowler looks on as a smoochfest breaks out at the Ryder Cup.
Not afraid to be different: Rickie Fowler looks on as a smoochfest breaks out at the Ryder Cup. Photo: Getty Images

Fowler was introduced to golf by his Japanese grandfather, Yutaka Tanaka, and Yutaka – his own middle name – is tattooed on the inside of his left bicep. He also boasts Navajo ancestry, his maternal grandmother being Native American.

So, no conventional country-club background for this modern, multi-racial millennial man.

Advertisement

Fowler lines up at Kingston Heath this week as one half of the United States' team in the 58th edition of the World Cup, a teams event that features 28 nations.

As the highest-ranked available American, he was given the chance to choose his partner and plumped for his friend, Jimmy Walker.

Team USA: Rickie Fowler (right) and Jimmy Walker are best of mates.
Team USA: Rickie Fowler (right) and Jimmy Walker are best of mates. Photo: Getty Images

Walker comes across as the anti-Fowler, dressing usually in black, and whose idea of being demonstrative is giving a half fist pump.

But appearances are deceptive. Walker, the current PGA champion, is clearly a funkier dude than we give him credit for – and he and his wife, Erin, have a sense of humour.

When Fowler won The Players Championship last year, he was greeted on the final green by his girlfriend, model Alexis Randock, and together they locked lips in the most passionate embrace ever seen on the PGA Tour (which, admittedly, is not saying an awful lot.)

The kiss captured the attention of Erin Walker, who was watching on TV and immediately sent a tweet to her husband – with appropriate emojis – letting him know they needed to smarten up their post-tournament snogging routine.

Despite their odd-couple appearance, Fowler and Walker are best of mates. The picture on Fowler's Twitter account (followers: 1.4 million) features the pair in matching US Ryder Cup team jumpers, which makes them look like Colin Firth's nerdy character in Bridget Jones' Diary.

This week, they will both be playing in a World Cup of Golf for the first time – having been paired together twice at last year's Presidents Cup.

Fowler also represented the US at the Rio Olympics, and enjoys the camaraderie of team play.

"Coming off the amazing experience that I had at the Olympics, it's great to have the chance to put on the red, white and blue again and play for the US in the World Cup of Golf," Fowler said.

"Jimmy is not only one of my favourite guys out here on tour, but he is clearly one of the most talented players as well. I think we'll make a fantastic team and our strengths will work well together. I've heard great things about Kingston Heath and can't wait to get to Australia."

While there have been some murmurings about his style overshadowing his substance, since May last year Fowler has won four times – notably at the 2015 Tour Championship when he stormed home to play the last 10 holes in eight-under-par.

When he won in Abu Dhabi in January, to jump to No.4 in the world, he resisted the media's urging to declare himself a challenger to The Big Three of Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy. "We've got to take care of a major," Fowler said, "and then maybe I can join the crew." So he does a nice line in humility, too.

Fowler is in huge demand from tournament promoters around the globe. His gallery at Kingston Heath this week will feature kids in Puma gear, tattooed millennials, shaven-headed X-gamers, and undoubtedly a smattering of female admirers, proving again that he is one of the greatest things to happen to the game since, well, another mixed-race prodigy announced himself 20 years ago.

Advertisement