When Rickie Fowler sunk the putt on the 18th green at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last July to defeat Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa in a playoff for his first PGA Tour win in four years, his wife, Allison, Stokke was in awe the moment it went around. .
“Given everything he’s done, it was pretty cool to see it all really come together,” Stokke said in the second season of “Full Swing,” which premiered on Netflix on Wednesday. In episode 2, Fowler looked back on his playoff victory.
It’s been a long journey back to the winner’s circle for Fowler. Fowler’s last PGA Tour victory came in February 2019 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
After early success, Fowler, a former Masters runner-up, has slumped in recent years, dropping to 185th in the world rankings.
“Sometimes it feels gut-wrenching, and there’s probably a lot more silence than usual,” Stokke said.
Stokke for track and field athletes People first linked to Fowler in 2017recalled a touching moment early in their relationship about how he kept his focus elsewhere after a difficult day on the course.
“I remember when we first met, you were at the Masters. In the beginning, no matter how it ended, it wasn’t what you wanted. You said to me, ‘Hello. , I think he sent me an email saying, “How are you doing today?” and I’m like, “Wait a minute, what?” I was just hoping that he wouldn’t text me for a while or call me for a while and the anger would end completely, but I don’t know. ”
Fowler, who married Stokke two years later In 2019, he said it was “not easy” to share more, but that having her in his corner had an impact.
“It’s not easy going through this difficult past few years and learning to open up and share more,” Fowler said on “Full Swing.” “But it means something to me to get an opinion and to be able to hear her opinion.”
Stokke watched Fowler, now 35, make a career comeback at the 2023 U.S. Open last June. That time, Fowler and Xander Schauffele each shot an 8-under 62 in the opening round at Los Angeles Country Club, setting a record for the lowest round in the nation. History of the tournament.
Despite a strong start, Fowler slumped in the final stages and missed out on his first major win against Windham Clark.
“Obviously he wanted to go in a different direction and everyone did that for him, but I don’t think it changed anything in terms of what he could do.” Stokke said. “I know he can figure it out.”
Fowler did just that, riding on his momentum from the U.S. Open to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club a few weeks later.
“I knew it was just a matter of time given how I’ve played so far,” Fowler said at the time. “We had some tough weekends, but we had a chance.”
The breakthrough moment was one Fowler shared with Stokke and their daughter Maya, who was born in November 2021.
“I always wanted to win with Maya by my side. Just being able to get the video and the photos would make that moment special. Hopefully there will be more and more of her I hope it’s something to remember,” Fowler said on “Full Swing.”
With the majors approaching, Stokke knows that whatever comes his way, Fowler will find a way to overcome it.
“I think it’s just lighter now,” Stokke said. “I’m not saying there won’t be suffering in the future, but you have to imagine that if there is suffering, he feels he can understand it.”
