FLOWTOWN, Pennsylvania — Ricky Fowler heard about the complaints (mainly from confused fans) after receiving an invitation to play at the PGA Championship next weekend.
His retort? Keep whining.
“Negative things help me in some way.
Fowler answered his critics at the Trust Championship with the kind of play that showed he was still seen as a threat to winning, even though he hadn’t actually been in the tournament since 2023.
“I was happy with where my game was for a while. I’ve never seen the work products I’ve put in. “This was a bit of a good day.”
Fowler rolled up eight birdies and bogeys to shoot a 7-under 63 on Thursday at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, leaving two strokes behind leader Keith Mitchell.
“You obviously want to come out and prove yourself,” Fowler said. “I wasn’t playing that well last year. It was the start of the year. It wasn’t too far.”
Fowler, 36, absorbed some criticism this week when the PGA Championship released the field at Quazlo Hollow next week.
The PGA Championship provided an invitation to Fowler, who went on to number 125 in the world and missed the Masters. The latest Ryder Cup has a category of players where Fowler was in Marco Simone, Italy.
Fowler’s first PGA Tour victory took place in Cool Hollow in 2012. His best finish at the PGA Championship came in 2014 when he finished third. Fowler ranked 146th in the world when he received an invitation to the 2022 PGA Championship.
Fowler, a six-time tour winner, played in nine events this year without a top-10 finish and required a sponsor exemption to play on a course outside Philadelphia this weekend.
That’s not the way he wanted to qualify for the tournament, but Fowler would take it.
“There are a lot of exemptions this year, which is very satisfying and grateful for from the sponsors and tournament directors,” he said. “You want to come out and play well. So I look forward to getting off to a good start and keeping it rolling.”
Fowler’s undefeated streak lasted longer than Collin and Adam Hadwin in July 2023, making a 12-foot birdie putt in the first playoff hole of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and winning in Detroit.
His putting was strong at the cricket club.
Fowler made a 13-foot birdie putt on the par-4 hole, keeping him between the leaders and finishing with a birdie at 18, holding his out. He called the birdie a round shot after a 5-bogey on No. 17.
“I think I made a birdie out there and I got a nice drive from the last good shot with the six iron,” he said. “It’s difficult to choose a single shot. I’ll choose the 18th hole.”
Perhaps his efforts were the result of a course in which 10 players shot under 65.
He also didn’t want to keep up with the rain on predictions.
“My body feels better and I can now play golf,” Fowler said. “I made some minor adjustments yesterday and got the irons up. I felt like I was swinging well and zeroing things out, and the ball was hanging a bit from what I wanted to see.
Fowler recalled a 2015 sports illustration player poll that named him one of the most overrated players on the tour for those who don’t think he can win. He quickly went out and won the athletes championship with TPC Sawgrass.
“It worked out all week,” he said.