CARMEL, Ind. – When is a snub not a snub? When the person who was presumably snubbed doesn’t believe he was snubbed.
Rickie Fowler’s name was bandied about as a Ryder Cup captain’s pick after the PGA Championship, many believing that U.S. captain Davis Love III would pick Fowler because of his reputation for being great in the team room.
But truth is, despite a victory earlier this year at the Wells Fargo Championship, Fowler has not played well the past three months while others like Dustin Johnson and Brandt Snedeker have stepped up and played better.
“With the way I played the last two weeks I definitely felt like I was kind of on the outside looking in,” Fowler said. “If I was going to be picked, it would be obviously not off of recent play, off of my play earlier this year and being the addition that I would be to the team on and off the course and someone that fits in well.
“He obviously went with some guys that have been there, guys that are playing well right now, which I completely understand.”
Fowler, 23, is remembered for his four-hole closing stretch in 2010 where he was down but managed a crucial half point during singles matches in Wales. Even though the U.S. ultimately lost those matches, many left impressed with Fowler’s ability to handle extreme pressure at such a young age.
It looked like Fowler was a lock to make this team earlier this year. After winning the Wells Fargo in a playoff, he tied for second place the next week at The Players then tied for fifth at the Colonial. But his best finish since (in a span of seven tournaments) is a tie for 24th place at The Barclays two weeks ago. No other finish was inside the top 30.
That stretch ultimately sealed Fowler’s Ryder Cup fate.