Rickie Fowler was denied an invitation. Then he responded empathically

We are in the throes of the letter of writing letters in the PGA Tour, where four sponsorship points are there for, uh, beggar At the signature event with $ 20 million bags. You want in? You have to write a letter. Like Rafa Campos did for next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Campos letter, According to GolfweekImpressed by Sam Saunders – Arnold Palmer’s nephew – and the events committee so much that his writing efforts won one of the four points. SPECIALLY NO Getting one of those invitations is Rickie Fowler (as well as Jordan Spieth’s favorite fan friend).

Fowler has won the sponsor’s sponsor at numerous signature events this season, an indication of how many sponsors are inclined to exploit Fowler’s popularity. But did his game deserve? Outside a T4 end in the autumn series, Fowler’s last top 10 at a tournament event came in 2023 US Open in the Los Angeles Country Club.

Fortunately for Fowler, it’s not about the game. Sponsors are free to invite any PGA Tour member they like, staying within some reasonable parameters. And Fowler is widely considered a positive net invitation in the past. He won a place in Pebble Beach Pro-AM a month ago, as well as Genesis Invitational a few weeks later. But his interest in another vacant place in the next week’s event was denied in favor of Campo, Min Woo Lee, Mackezie Hughes and Justin Rose.

Why?

“Rickie had taken several exception opportunities in the events already raised,” Saunders told Adam Schupak“And that was something to be taken into consideration. You want other players to get the opportunity. There are many players in PGA Tour. And, you know, not everyone can be household names, but it’s about trying to secure the best competition.”

Sponsors (and the tour itself) Criticism taken Last year when some of the same players were receiving a dominant majority of invitations. Adam Scott and Webb Simpson were key among them. Simpson didn’t do much with those points, but Scott did, playing well enough to finish in the top 50 places in FedEx Cup last year, ensuring that he will not have to write any letters in 2025.

It can simply be a preference for a signature event – we will find out when RBC Heritage confirms its invitations during the masters week – but in the same way, Fowler seemed to understand it well, events if he did not love it. When asked about the refusal, Fowler called classic, two -word phrases, Pro Tour often use: play better.

“At the end of the day, play better,” he said Friday at Cognizant Classic. “It would be much easier to play well last year and win my way to these events. They have been very lucky and very grateful for Steve John in Pebble and AT&T to get a place there and Tiger and Genesis to get it in Torrey. But it’s hard to try to get everyone.

“Yes, it is what it is. As I said, at the end of the day, play well and that will take care of it. Of course I’m annoyed that I won’t be there next week. It is a special event, and I have definitely had a very special relationship with Mr. Palmer. But we will see. We will see if we can get a trophy this week, and that will take care of it.

He is not wrong. Fowler could win his way to the field with a win at National PGA. A second -place solo finish is also likely to finish it, pushing Fowler to the Aon Swing 5, but a victory would guarantee it. Fowler knows it, and he is playing as he knows, too.

Through 54 holes, Fowler is entitled to the thickness of the quarrel for the first time in nearly six months. He opened with a Thursday 64, his best round since October, and followed him on Friday 68. In the most complex conditions, Berzier on Saturday, Fowler was relieved in 68 others-that he did not have “his best things”, as he admitted after the round-two under the week, blockages. When everyone wakes up on Sunday morning, there will be a dozen players inside just a few shots.

Known for his well -rounded game, Fowler has run it better than normal this week. He is well within 10 leaders on the field for the shocks won: Off the tee. He will have an afternoon late on Sunday with a chance to prove what it really looks like “Play better”.