Rickie Fowler will take the first tee at Augusta National on Thursday morning in his 10th career appearance at the Masters still in search of that ever-elusive first major championship. And as he sets about his week, he's hoping that a year-long process of tweaking, refining and sharpening his swing will finally pay dividends for him on golf's biggest stage.
"We've been working a little over a year [on changing the swing], but I would say the real part of it kind of started once the season kicked off in January for 2020. It's been tough," Fowler said in an appearance this week on The First Cut Podcast. "Haven't had the results I would've liked to, and that's part of change. But I've had a lot of good rounds to just kind of keep my hopes."
It has been a challenging year for Fowler on the PGA Tour as he's worked through change. He's modified his swing. He's tried out a new style of putter. He has gotten into the nitty-gritty of his game. All the while, he's made only two more cuts (eight) than he's missed (six) in 2020, and he's finished well outside the top 25 at the two major championships he's played in.
For Fowler, though, the focus as he's prepared for the Masters this week is less about the granular details and more about just getting back to golf and cutting loose. That's usually when Fowler, also a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, is at his absolute best.
"I was working so hard for a while just on what I was trying to do with the swing, and I got away from a little bit of the playing side of things," he said. "For me, when I'm home or working on the game, I tend to play a lot more. So getting back into that the last couple months has helped, and I feel like I'm in a lot better spot going into the Masters than I have been all year."
Win, lose or draw, Fowler will be rolling up in style down Magnolia Lane, driving a Mercedes-Benz. As if Augusta National isn't beautiful enough this time of year, Fowler has the most luxurious front seat to it all.
"It's always special to pull into Augusta," he said, "but nothing but the best when you're pulling up in a Mercedes and cruising down Magnolia Lane."
