Rickie Fowler Posts Top-5 at Truist Championship, Fuels Comeback Talk

Rickie Fowler finished top-5 at the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow Club. The 37-year-old did not win the event, but his strong showing has reignited questions about whether he is back on form.

Fowler built an amateur career that included 36 weeks as the top-ranked amateur in the world in 2007 and 2008. He won the Ben Hogan Award in 2008 as the best college golfer while starring at Oklahoma State.

He turned pro and quickly became one of the PGA Tour's most popular players, known for his Oklahoma State orange clothing, flat-brim hat and motocross background. Fans took to him right away.

Fowler claimed his first PGA Tour title in 2012 at the Wells Fargo Championship, now the Truist Championship, at Quail Hollow. He beat Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points in a playoff. His next win came in 2015 at the Players Championship.

In 2014, Fowler posted tied for fifth at the Masters, tied for second at the U.S. Open, tied for second at the Open Championship and tied for third at the PGA Championship. He reached No. 4 in the world ranking after the 2015 Players victory.

Fowler has nine top-5 finishes and 13 top-10 finishes in majors but no major wins. Fans love him, and peers respect him, which makes the lack of a major title stand out.

His recent results show steady progress. Last year, he tied for 15th at the Truist Championship, tied for seventh at the Memorial, tied for 14th at The Open Championship, tied for sixth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and tied for seventh at the BMW Championship.

This season, Fowler tied for eighth at the RBC Heritage and tied for ninth at the Cadillac Championship before his top-5 at Quail Hollow. That makes three straight top-10 finishes in PGA Tour Signature Events, which feature limited fields of top players.

Fowler missed this year's Masters and has played Augusta only once since 2021. He failed to qualify for last year's U.S. Open but made The Open. Often, he has fought just to enter majors.

He is in the field for this week's PGA Championship at Aronimink. He started the weekend just outside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. The U.S. Open exempts the top 60 on May 18 and June 15, while The Open takes the top 50 in Week 21.

A top-four finish at the PGA Championship would lock in a Masters return next April. Fowler's run suggests an emerging trend, not a one-off, for a player known for popularity and close calls in majors.