“We kind of have to create the want for golf” - Rickie Fowler discusses the evolution of golf and what he wishes were different
For Rickie Fowler, part of the solution to professional golf's problems lies in how to make it more attractive to fans. He believes it is necessary to design a model that will awaken fans' hunger for the sport.
Fowler is currently at Florida's PGA National Resort to participate in the Cognizant Classic beginning Thursday, Feb. 29. He held a pre-event press conference and how golf should evolve in the near future was among the topics he addressed.
Here is part of what Rickie Fowler had to say (via Golf.com):
"I do feel like, say if the season is kind of where it’s at, with the January to August, is there ways to do different things in the fall, but I also at the same time, I feel like there needs to — we kind of have to create the want for golf. Right now, you can basically watch golf every week of the year for the most part. There’s not really an offseason."
In 2024, the PGA Tour restarted its system of matching the season to the calendar year, starting in January and ending in August. However, tournaments will continue to be held in the fall in what is called the "FedEx Cup Fall."
These fall tournaments will be important for players who do not close the season well, as the "FedEx Cup Fall" will award spots on the PGA Tour for the following season. In addition, other events such as the Ryder Cup (every two years) are played in the fall.
A look into Rickie Fowler's 2024 season
Rickie Fowler has played five tournaments so far in the 2024 season. He began by competing at The Sentry, where he finished 56th with a score of 10 under. He had three rounds under par, but a third-round 75 complicated his result.
Fowler's second tournament of the season was The American Express, where he was cut with a score of 2 under. He then played the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he finished T47, with a score of 5 under.
His second cut of this season came at the WM Phoenix Open. The bad weather conditions seemed to affect Rickie Fowler's performance as he managed only 73 and 75 in the first two rounds, for an overall score of 6 over.
Finally, Fowler played in The Genesis Invitational, where he finished T35, with a score of 3 under.
The 2024 edition will be Fowler's 14th appearance at The Cognizant Classic (formerly The Honda Classic). His best finish was winning the tournament in 2017, with a score of 12 under. He also finished T2 in 2019, T6 in 2016 and T7 in 2012, while being cut in four editions.