RICKIE FOWLER WINS WELLS FARGO CHAMPIONSHIP

By mustang6560 on 5/7/12

"How 'bout that!" was my reaction last night as Rickie Fowler bent down to pick up his ball out of the cup following his made birdie putt to win the Wells Fargo Championship.

In a three-way playoff that featured U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, the 23-year-old Fowler gambled with a 51-degree wedge that had to be perfect on an 18th hole at Quail Hollow that had yielded only four birdies all day.

And it was.

Fowler stuffed his shot into 4 feet for a birdie on the first extra hole to beat McIlroy and D.A. Points and win the Wells Fargo Championship on Sunday. It was his first PGA TOUR win in his 67th start as a pro, bringing him a 500-point FedExCup swing that pushed him to No. 15 in the latest standings.

"I didn't want to play it safe," Fowler said. "I had a good number (133 yards), and I was aiming right of the hole with the wind coming out of the right, and if I hit a perfect shot, it comes down right on the stick. ... I hit a perfect shot at the right time, and I was going for it."

With the win Sunday, Rickie earned his second career victory as a professional, which was his first on the PGA Tour. His other win came at the Kolon Korea Open last fall on the OneAsia Tour, and guess who finished in second place? You guessed it - Rory.

His win also renewed the media hyped Rickie Fowler versus Rory McIlroy rivalry. For a minute there, it seemed as though Rickie was no longer on the same level as his European counterpart. But, Rickie finally broke through on the PGA Tour so people can finally stop referring to him as the only "Golf Boys" band member without a PGA Tour victory.

People were saying that, right?

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Image via Flickr, Keith Allison


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