Nature Calling: Fowler’s Round Ends on a Down Note Due to Needed Bathroom Break

Rickie Fowler has been on quite a run for most of 2023.

Unfortunately for him, he had to run through his last couple of holes in the first round at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

The reason? Nature calling.

Rickie Fowler finished his round of 5-under-par (67) with two bogeys. ️ “To be perfectly hoenst I had to go the bathroom pretty badly…. There weren’t many bathrooms the last 5 holes so I was a little shaky coming in…” @RickieLegion

pic.twitter.com/IprRYKghI8

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 29, 2023

Fowler said after wrapping up his first round and visiting the restroom afterward:

“To be perfectly honest, I had to go to the bathroom pretty badly. Luckily, I just got drug tested so I went straight in. There weren’t many bathrooms the last five holes so I was a little shaky coming in — and not to necessarily blame the finish on that, but it didn’t help.”

Fowler bogeyed the final two holes to finish with a 5-under 67. He opens play on Friday three shots behind leader Peter Kuest.

After struggling for the past few years, Fowler has had a resurgence this year but is still in search of his first win since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open. He shot a U.S. Open-record 62 in the opening round at Los Angeles Country Club two weeks ago and was the co-leader after 54 holes, but he wound up fifth. He followed that up with another top-10 finish at the Travelers Championship last week.

It’s true … @RickieFowler told this fan he bring back the head-to-toe orange pic.twitter.com/fqTTpOBOoi

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2023

Even if Fowler doesn’t end up with a win, his play could be good enough to get him back on the U.S. Ryder Cup team this fall. After making the team four times in a row from 2010-18, he missed out in 2021.

Fowler said:

“I am (thinking about the Ryder Cup). I mean, I’ve kept up with or checked on points here or there, but at the end of the day, I mean, it’s not like breaking down points to see, oh, I need to finish this to move to a certain spot. Not having much or many points from last year on there doesn’t exactly help me.”

He currently is 16^th in the standings. The top six receive an automatic berth onto the team, and team captain Davis Love III will select six other picks.

Cover Image Via Twitter