Rickie Fowler has been struggling with putting yips, he said Thursday in Detroit.
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After Rickie Fowler's opening round at the Rocket Mortgage Classic – a six-under 66 – he spoke to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis and admitted something interesting: he's been battling the yips.
Lewis praised Fowler for his putting Thursday, and for good reason: he gained nearly three strokes on the green, ranking seventh in the field. He stayed comfortable and finished with a bang, birdieing his final five holes to book a place in the top 10 at Detroit Country Club.
The strong performance came a week after Fowler guided the Travelers to the T20 final, his second best result of the season. What did he do, Lewis wondered, to change his ways?
“I've been trying to get back to a normal, normal height for a while, and I've been cross for the last three weeks,” Fowler said. That is not unusual, he clarified; he used to switch back and forth regularly and his first win on the Tour came with a cross-handed (known as a left-hander).
“But it just seems to have helped a little bit with hearing and touch, and that's a big thing,” he added. Obviously starting the ball on the line but controlling the pace is another variable when it comes to putting, so I feel like I've done a good job over the last few weeks of not only hitting my lines but hitting them at the right pace.”
Lewis, to his credit, went for specifics in his follow-up question. What does joining hands do for him compared to normal?
“I'd say over the last few years I've been dealing with a little bit of right hand movement sometimes, you might call it a 'yip', or there's all kinds of names for it,” Fowler said. Lewis clearly reacted to the word “yip,” which is rarely spoken voluntarily by a player, but Fowler put him at ease.
“I'm alive now,” he continued. “When people deal with that, it makes it hard to trust to hit good putts. I was hitting a lot of putts that would start on the line but it was a matter of speed. Going back and crossing my arms felt like it was locking my right hand and wrist a little when I was able to use it as a driver just to touch and feel.”
Putting was a point of emphasis for Fowler even before Thursday's round. In Wednesday's pre-tournament press conference he was asked about his recent hitting struggles and – on the contrary – pointed to his putting.
“I think a big part of loosening up and allowing myself to play better golf starts on the green and it helps when I make putts, which started last week to see that,” he said. “I feel like if I reach my level or at least average, it frees up the rest of the game. So we're looking forward to leaning on the putter a little bit going forward and letting others get into the zone and see the ball-striking stats come back. “
His long season numbers support that narrative and he has had it throughout his career. So is Fowler's statement, and so are Fowler's results. In 2024 he is 131st on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting and just 91st in the FedEx Cup. In a resurgent season last year, which included a win at the event and a spot on the US Ryder Cup team, he finished 48th in the standings and qualified for the Tour Championship. But at the height of his struggles in 2021 and 2022 he was ranked 126th and 161st, respectively, and by September 2022 he had dropped to No. 185 in the world.
It wasn't always like that. From 2013 until 2020 he earned green strokes every year, highlighted by his 2017 season, when he led the Tour in placings and finished the season ranked No. 7 in the world. He became almost as famous for his silky strokes as his orange clothes; it was the hallmark of his game.
As far as I know, Thursday was the first time Fowler has publicly acknowledged that he struggles with the yips, which are often considered a disease or illness and exist as a golfing legend. Some players don't want to admit their struggle with the yips; others have suggested that acknowledging the struggle is the key to recovery. It would be interesting to hear if Fowler's acceptance is a strategy or just a moment of honesty.
One thing's for sure: three more days like Thursday and he'll be in the mix on Sunday with a chance to defend his Rocket Mortgage title. Last year's win at the event was his first win anywhere since 2019; a win this year will be the first in a tough competition since he won. Good play starts with good placement. Where does the good start?
“I was just trying to make fairways and greens, I got old,” he said. So good placement takes the pressure off his iron. And good irons take the pressure off his putting.
Easy enough, on days like Thursday. We'll see how many Fowlers can put together.
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