Rickie Fowler calls for PGA Tour shake-up and admits elite stars are struggling to cope

Daily Record

2 days ago

Rickie Fowler believes tweaks needed and also talked player fitness
Honest Rickie Fowler reckons the PGA Tour needs less events as he also discussed the physical struggles faced by elite players in the game.
The Californian star opened up on a range of topics ahead of his outing at this week's Rocket Classic, where he won two years ago.
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Superstars such as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are not involved in Detroit as they take a break ahead of The Genesis Scottish Open and Open Championship, where Fowler will play, with the PGA Tour Signature Events also now finished for the year.
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New Tour CEO Brian Rolapp will be viewing the schedule in the United States as one of his key jobs in post with much debate in the game surrounding the fact there are different levels of event in America, with the non-Signature events attracting lesser fields.
The PGA Tour can often have two events in one week with, for example, the co-sanctioned Renaissance spectacular in East Lothian next month running with the big names at the same time as the ISCO Championship is played in Kentucky with a less high-profile cast.
Fowler assessed that situation and said: 'It'll be interesting to see how things shake out.
'If you're looking long-term, do just all events become big events and guys just play a pretty similar schedule and not take many weeks off? You can look at the Tour in so many different ways.
'I feel like there needs to be less events, less cards, the Tour gets elevated, there's more continuity from what you would say, like a top event to a lower level or an opposite field event.
'Sometimes it's tough, you have to remove yourself from your current situation, but I don't think that the PGA Tour should necessarily have secondary or opposite field events. I think the PGA Tour product is the PGA Tour product, so there's a lot you could go into.
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'But, to me, a PGA Tour event should be a PGA Tour event and it shouldn't be necessarily: Well, this one's elevated or this is an opposite field and then it goes into scheduling and where you're at based on if it's elevated or not.
'The Majors and the players are the core events or the big events that are on the schedule and golf fans and non-golf fans, those are the ones that they know about, they know what those are.
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'How [do] we elevate PGA Tour events outside of that and so then it may not become a thing where are you sandwiched or not and maybe not as big of a scheduling difficulty if there's all those different kinds of events.'
Fowler, meanwhile, is hoping for another good week at the event and says he's feeling better with the body in good shape. The American gave an insight into the physical battles as he said: 'I don't think any of us are ever at 100 per cent out here. If you can somehow manage to stay in the 75 to 80 per cent health wise, that's a good spot.
'So I've been working on that and I think that's been one of the biggest things is getting back into a spot where I'm feeling pretty good and allowing myself to go play golf.
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'I'm just starting to build some momentum and build some confidence and have definitely seen pieces come together, areas continuing to get better.
'Obviously, we're all out here grinding it out, continuing to try and get better day after day, week after week. 2023 was a nice year for me. Last year was slow again, but hey, it's not for a lack of effort. We're all putting in time and grinding.
'I'm very well aware of where I'm at on points. With this week and playing next week at the [John] Deere and getting ready for the Open.
'Ultimately, I would like to be in a great spot and well inside the top 50 and not have to worry about having to play, whether it be 3M and Greensboro or picking one of those and then be ready to be fresh and ready for our post-season.
'But we're going to do what we have to do. If that means playing and trying to rack up some more points to make sure we're in a good or comfortable spot, then we'll do that.
'A lot of times when people either complain or tough times are going on, good golf solves a lot. So, let's go play some good golf and everything will fall into place.'