Rickie Fowler birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit on Sunday, giving Fowler his first PGA Tour since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open.
Fowler entered the final round with a one-stroke lead over Canada’s Hadwin and birdied the 18th hole to finish at a 24-under 264 for the tournament. Hadwin fired a bogey-free 67 and Morikawa had eight birdies on the day to finish with a 63 and force the playoff.
The trio returned to the 474-yard 18th hole to begin the playoff, which Fowler ended with his birdie.
It is the sixth PGA Tour title for Fowler, and his first since becoming a father. He dedicated his win to his family, including his wife, former professional athlete Allison Stokke, and his young daughter, Maya, who was born in late 2021.
“It’s hard to really put into words,” Fowler said on the Golf Network broadcast. “Obviously a lot of good stuff this year and I’ve been playing some really good golf, so I knew it was just a matter of time with how I’ve been playing.
“I’ve had a couple of tough weekends where I’ve had a chance, you know. At the U.S. Open, I didn’t get it done, but at the end of the day, getting to hang with (daughter) Maya and my wife — winning is great but there’s a lot more to life than that.”
Fowler took time after the win to thank the fans, who were forced to put up with delays and last-minute changes to tee times due to inclement weather in recent days.
“Just wanted to say thank you to the fans. You guys were amazing,” Fowler said in a video posted by the tournament on Twitter. “Felt the energy all week. Just appreciate all the support. You guys were always there with me.
“Bummed that we couldn’t be outside with you to celebrate, but we’ll be back, and plenty more good times.”
Entering the tournament, Fowler had seven top-10 finishes on the season, including a tie for fifth at the U.S. Open.
For Morikawa, this is his seventh runner-up finish in 94 PGA Tour starts.
“This is kind of how the golf I wanted to play,” Morikawa said. “Today I thought I played really well; first three days, I thought it was pretty mediocre. It’s kind of the old Collin hopefully back, just knowing that we’re going to keep it in front of myself, give myself some looks, and when putts go in and shots are a little closer, we have days like today.”
Hadwin is a runner-up for the fifth time in 239 starts.
“I did a lot of really good things today,” Hadwin said. “I’m proud of the way I kept going and had some fun with it, stayed loose and just enjoyed the moment. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.”
–Field Level Media