CROMWELL, Conn. – In a turbulent season for Rickie Fowler on the course, off it, he’s going to have a year that he’ll never forget.
The Monday after Father’s Day, Fowler shared on Instagram that he and wife Allison Stokke are expecting a baby girl. However, despite making the news public after a holiday that will take on a whole new meaning for him, Fowler and his wife have been sitting on the news since February.
“We found out the week of (The Honda Classic), so we’ve known for quite a while,” Fowler said at the Travelers Championship on Wednesday. “I was excited. She was excited, obviously. It was more – I was kind of waiting to be able to share with people, and then that’s kind of when it starts to become real.”
After a Father’s Day to remember for Jon Rahm, who won the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines his first year as a dad, Fowler, 32, said he’s been told fatherhood is life-changing and although golf will still be a big part of his life, he knows the responsibility that comes with being a dad.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I know [Allison and I are] both excited. Yeah, it’s a little bit of a change for sure. She’ll be the main thing. Everything else will kind of take a backseat. But I’m looking forward to kind of trying to manage everything, keep things as efficient as possible and being able to spread my time between her and family and golf, as well.”
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Fowler has had a bit more time on his hands this past year after failing to qualify for the Masters and the U.S. Open. He spent some of the Masters watching with Tiger Woods, but did not do so last week. Fowler spent most of his open time working on his game, rather than watching his competitors.
“I watched [the U.S. Open] a little bit,” Fowler said. “It wasn’t necessarily my primary focus last week. I was actually able to play a decent amount other than getting back late from the U.S. Open qualifier. I took a few days off there, which was nice to just kind of relax and recover. But I played – last week I played Tuesday through Saturday, just played in the mornings.”
After missing the Masters and U.S. Open for the first time since 2010, but finishing top-10 at last month’s PGA Championship, he looks ahead to The Open Championship in a few weeks, where he’s had success in the past. He finished tied for sixth last time he played across the Atlantic in 2019.
“Nice to kind of … know exactly what we have coming up,” he said. “Obviously would have been nice to be playing at Augusta and be playing at Torrey last week, but the cards have just been falling into place properly. I’m excited about the next few weeks ahead and knowing kind of our exact schedule for the next two months.”