Mark Cannizzaro

Mark Cannizzaro

Sports

Fowler proving he’s more than a flashy wardrobe

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Rory McIlroy wanted it to affirm his dominance of the sport the way his former idol, Tiger Woods, once did.

Phil Mickelson wanted it to add to his major championship legacy, to win a sixth of his career at age 44.

Henrik Stenson wanted it to become the first male player from Sweden ever to win a major.

Rickie Fowler?

He needed to win the 96th PGA Championship most — more than any of the aforementioned players who traded positions at the top of the leaderboard during a stirring final-round birdie-fest Sunday at Valhalla that eventually was won by McIlroy.

Fowler entered this week as the only player to have finished in the top 5 in each of the first three majors — a tie for fifth at the Masters, and runner-up in both the U.S. Open and British Open. He began Sunday’s final round at Valhalla 27-under par in 15 rounds in the majors — better than anyone in the world, even McIlroy, who was 24-under.

All impressive feats and admirable notations to Fowler’s bio. But Fowler needed to come out on top Sunday to truly validate himself as a player who might become to McIlroy what Mickelson has been to Woods — a formidable rival.

When it was over, after he finished 14-under par, two shots behind McIlroy’s 16-under, Fowler, who after he chipped in for birdie at No. 5 had the lead alone for the first time in a major, said, “This is the one that stings.’’

“This is probably the one that hurts the most for me,’’ Fowler said. “The first three were a lot of fun. This one I felt like I could go out and win. I put myself in a good position. I really felt like I could win this one. Disappointed to come up short.’’

Most know Fowler for the flashy, eye-sore Puma clothing he wears along with that oversized flat-brimmed ball cap that nearly engulfs his dome. Children — and even grown men — idolize Fowler, dressing like him and tracking his every move at tournaments.

Cynics criticize Fowler for being nothing more than a product of masterful marketing.

Those who are most critical have compared him with former Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova, who was best known because of her runway-model looks but who never won a single tennis tournament in 12 years on the circuit.

All of these criticisms and comparisons are unfounded and off base.

Sure, Fowler has not won as often as you might think he should have commensurate to his public exposure — he had one PGA Tour victory entering this week, the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship.

But Fowler, ranked 18th in the world, has been banging on the door for a few years now, and no one — not even the players who won the first three majors this year (Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy) — has been more consistent in the majors.

Any questions about how serious Fowler is about improving his game and winning golf tournaments should be answered by the fact that he reached out to renowned swing coach Butch Harmon in December to seek help making him a winner.

“He said, ‘I want to be known more for my golf than my clothes and my hat; I want to contend in majors,’ ’’ Harmon recalled.

“I wanted to start moving forward,’’ Fowler said. “I was kind of at a standstill and wasn’t getting what I wanted out of my game.’’

The move to Harmon proved to be brilliant for Fowler, whose driving distance has increased by 8 yards and short game has dramatically improved.

Before joining Harmon, in his first 14 Grand Slams as a professional Fowler had only one top-5 finish — at the 2011 British Open, where he tied for fifth. This year, he has quadrupled that production.

But it was the failure to finish this one off on the back nine, on which he managed to shoot only level par, that sticks with Fowler more than the pride from his remarkable consistency in the majors this year.

“The back nine wasn’t what I was wanting,’’ he said. “It was definitely emotional as soon as I finished up as far as I really felt like I could win and to come up a bit short … [I’m] disappointed right now. But still, to look back on the year, it was pretty awesome through the majors and something I can look back on and be proud of.’’