5 Things Rickie Fowler Must Do to Have a Successful 2014-15 PGA Tour Season
Rickie Fowler made great strides toward elite status on the PGA Tour in 2014.
He moved from 40th at the end of 2013 to 10th at the end of 2014 in the Official World Golf Ranking thanks to his efforts on course in the past year. That's a substantial jump.
And while Fowler didn't win a tournament in 2014, he was the best player on tour relative to par across all four majors.
In fact, he was one of the best all time in that department. As Alex Myers of Golf Digest wrote: "With an aggregate score of 1,108 in the four events, Fowler...tied for the third-best combined score in major championship history."
What must the 26-year-old do to ensure continued success in 2015?
Click through to see.
Not Fall Victim to the McIlroy-Wozniacki Syndrome
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Rory McIlroy played just a bit better after his split from tennis-playing fiance Caroline Wozniacki.
Rickie Fowler, for the first time publicly, has a girlfriend (bikini model Alexis Randock). While that's a wonderful thing and the two appear to be enjoying their time together (if Fowler's Instagram is any indication), Mr. McIlroy's situation should stand as a cautionary tale.
Of course, Wozniacki or the way McIlroy played while dating the tennis star can't be held up as the sole explanation for the young Ulsterman's poor 2013 campaign. However, the fact remains: Rory won his first start following the split and played very, very well sans Wozniacki.
The real lesson for Fowler has less to do with his relationship with his significant other and more to do with these truisms: You have to have your house in order to consistently perform at an elite level, and you have to go with what got you there.
Continue to Ingrain His New Swing
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Rickie Fowler began working with Butch Harmon at the beginning of 2014.
The two refined the Oklahoma State alum's takeaway, refining his motion for more consistent contact and better ball-striking.
As Fowler told Golf Digest's Max Adler: "The biggest thing...we worked on was the takeaway, getting more of the forearms to rotate and the toe to move first off the ball versus I used to stay shut for quite a while and be outside."
Fowler's numbers in 2014 versus the previous season: five top 10s in 2013, 10 top 10s in 2014 (including two second-place finishes). Considering that he didn't notch a top-10 finish until February as he adjusted to a changed swing, doubling his top-10 tally is impressive.
If he continues to work with Harmon and refine what the two are attempting to ingrain across 10,000 hours of practice and all that good stuff, he'll have a solid swing that performs in the forge of major championships.
Fowler needs to keep putting in the reps on the range.
Keep Knocking on the Door
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They say that if you keep knocking at the door, eventually someone will answer.
Rickie Fowler knocked at the door of major championship victory with great force during the 2013-2014 season.
Fowler did everything but win one of professional golf's four most significant tournaments. Indeed, only two other golfers in history have finished inside the top five in all four majors in a season. Unfortunately, Fowler was the only golfer of the trio not to win a major during his year of brilliant major form.
Still, if he keeps doing what he's been doing, he'll be a major champion soon enough.
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Become a Little More Accurate off the Tee into Greens
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Looking at the orange-loving Mr. Fowler's numbers from the 2013-2014 season, a couple areas of deficiency are apparent.
Driving accuracy: Fowler was actually more accurate off the tee in 2013 than he was last season (62.27 percent versus 59.93 percent).
Greens in Regulation: Fowler was roughly the same in greens in regulation in 2014 as he was in 2013 and was just 100th in tour in the category. Better players average 67 to 68 percent; Fowler was closer to 63 percent in 2014.
He'll want to improve slightly in both arenas to put himself in position for birdies more often and to avoid having to scramble for pars.
Improve His Putting from 15-25 Feet
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Overall, Rickie Fowler is a good putter. He was 37th in strokes gained putting in 2013-2014.
He did have difficulty in one particular range, however. Fowler was 112th on tour in putting from 15 to 25 feet in 2013-2014, a critical range for birdie putts.
He made just 14.5 percent of putts from the range in question. The best players on tour make better than 25 percent of putts from the range. If Fowler were a bit better from 15 to 25 feet, he could lead the tour in birdies (Fowler was 14th in 13-14).
All stats via PGATOUR.com.
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