Is Rickie Fowler the next Tiger Woods?

October 26, 10:44 AMBoston Golf ExaminerEmily Kay

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Rickie Fowler tees off during PGA Tour's Frys.com Open

(Photo: AP/Ross D. Franklin)

October 26 -- The way Golf Channel analysts gushed about Rickie Fowler during final-round coverage of last week’s PGA Tour golf tourney, he must have blown out his Frys.com Open opponents.

• Rickie Fowler or Leo Dicaprio? You make the call by checking out these photos of Fowler
  
  

Surely, the 20-year-old phenom who’s Golf Channel’s newest pick as the next Tiger Woods took home the trophy from Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ.

Actually, no and no. But Fowler’s share of second place after Troy Matteson beat him and Jamie Lovemark on the second Frys.com playoff hole further cemented the shaggy-haired fan favorite’s place in Golf Channel’s pantheon of celebrities, beside such luminaries as Leonardo Dicaprio and Zak Efron. Heck, GC even broadcast a split screen of Fowler and Dicaprio during Sunday’s telecast.

What comparing a newbie pro golfer to movie stars proves is unclear. But with Golf Channel and other golf outlets dubbing Fowler the next can’t-miss, ball-striking marvel, perhaps it’s fitting that the Oklahoma State star made his professional PGA Tour debut two weeks ago at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.

For sure, the guy is good. Fowler finished in the top 10 in his first two PGA Tour events as a pro, earning a tidy $553,700 in two weeks. He scorched Grayhawk with a final-round 6-under 64 and aced the 203-yard, par-3 fifth hole.

Real deal or yesterday’s headline? But “the real deal,” as his new sponsor, Puma (you couldn’t miss the neon yellow  cougar on Fowler’s chest and painter’s cap) dubs its latest money-maker? Sure, Fowler had his first golf lesson at the ripe old age of three and a half. But the next Tiger Woods? What ever happened to Rory McIllroy? Remember the recent noise about Ryo Ishikawa? Danny Lee? Your name here?

Why not let this obviously talented kid earn his PGA Tour card at Q-school before smothering him with other-worldly expectations? After all, he could turn out be the next Ty Tryon.

Stud muffin. In the meantime, let Golf Channel, Golfweek, et al, discuss Fowler’s upcoming rise to the heights of “greatest golfer ever,” while the young Californian continues to hone his quick and aggressive approach to golf. (By the way, terming the wispy, five-foot, nine-inch Fowler a “stud” is pouring on the hype just a tad heavily, wouldn’t you say?)

Fowler’s golf coach, Barry McDonnell, who took the young Rickie under his wing, credits heavy golf clubs for Fowler’s physical prowess. The PGA Tour rookie began swinging his father’s and grandfather’s full-size drivers, which “gave him a lot of strength in his hands and forearms,” McDonnell tells Golf Channel.

Fowler’s flat motion, with a Jim Furyk-like loop-do-loop on his downswing, results from hoisting heavy clubs as a kid. “I could see he was coming from inside and catching the ball square,” McDonnell says, “so I didn’t take it away from him.”

Mental game. More important than his mechanics is Fowler’s internal approach to golf. “I spent most of my time on the mental side. I keep working my kids’ minds. It’s harder to groove your mind than your golf swing,” says McDonnell.

“You just get out of Rickie’s way and let him play,” avers McDonnell, whose grandfather was the head golf professional at the Country Club of New Bedford (MA) for 60 years, according to Golf Channel.

Rickie Fowler may be the next big thing but he could not eke out a win at the Frys.com Open. Read about Troy Matteson’s win over Fowler and Lovemark on Sunday’s second playoff hole at Grayhawk.

Watch Rickie Fowler’s “old school” golf swing in this video (and, of course, you can follow Fowler on Twitter):