With an opening-round 3-under 68 on Thursday, Rickie Fowler found himself just three shots back of Bo Van Pelt’s lead at The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club.
Though the 25-year-old Fowler has just one PGA Tour win to his résumé, this season he became the third player in history to finish in the top 5 in all four major championships — and the first to do so without winning one.
“I’m trying to go through the same thought process here as I have been, and take it like we’re trying to play like I am at a major,” Fowler said. “Seems like that’s where I play best and [it would] be nice to keep that going.”
Fowler is ranked 16th in the FedEx Cup standings, and is looking forward to the next four weeks of playoff events, leading to the Tour Championship at East Lake with a chance for the cumulative $10 million prize.
“It’s a little bit of a balancing act,” Fowler said about pacing himself for this important run that could validate his season. “You don’t want to come out too hot early, but a win at one of the first three could do a lot of good.”
Phil Mickelson said this week even a win in these FedEx Cup playoffs wouldn’t salvage a poor season, and an even-par 71 in the opening round didn’t exactly inspire.
“I missed a few too many fairways,” he said. “Even par isn’t what I wanted, but it was still a nice day on the golf course.”
Charles Howell III shot 5-under 66 and is tied for second after missing the previous two cuts, at the PGA Championship and at the Wyndham Championship last week in North Carolina.
“Golf’s funny, right?” he said. “The demons are up there. Just have to keep them quiet.”
The famous “five-and-dime” hole at Ridgewood, the 291-yard par-4 fifth, played to a 3.80 stroke-average on the first day, the third-easiest (and most exciting) hole on the course.