Rickie Fowler raised some eyebrows at Sentry over the weekend, not because of his trademark Oklahoma State orange, but because his attire didn't include some of the big-name sponsors.
Some speculated that Fowler's plain polo shirt hinted at a move to LIV Golf.But the former cowboy destroyed that concept In a recent interview with Adam Shupack golf week.
“I have no plans to go anywhere,” Fowler revealed.
But he has made it clear he has no future plans with Farmers Insurance, a longtime partner and sponsor of the annual PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
“My contract was up and I was told they weren't looking to renew or extend it,” Fowler said.
“It was a good fit for them to take over at Tory.” [Pines], the tournament I love and the closest to where I grew up. I loved doing fun commercials with them over the years. It was a great partnership, but it was their decision to downsize. ”
Fowler said Farmers Insurance's new CEO, Raul Vargas, wants to move in a new direction.
However, the company plans to continue sponsoring tournaments in the San Diego area, something the insurance company has done since 2010.
Interestingly, Fowler has played in the Farmers Insurance Open every year since 2010, making eight cuts and missing six.
But he won't be on the field at Torrey Pines this year. Due to Farmers and Fowler's divorce, Fowler will take that week off for the first time in his career.
“I'm not in a position to go out of my way to put a logo on it,” Fowler said.
“I'm not going to make a deal unless it's something I believe in and want to do…I want to make sure it's worthwhile and with the right people. I don't want to be a poster boy or a NASCAR driver, but I do want to have a good core group of partners.”
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One of those core partners will continue to be Rocket Mortgage, a Michigan-based mortgage company. Fowler won the Rocket Mortgage Classic last July, his first win since 2019, but it's notable that his shirt in Maui didn't have the company's logo.
“We're moving forward, but we haven't made any final decisions yet,” Fowler said of discussions with Rocket Mortgage.
“I think there's a good chance we'll get the logo and move forward with a partnership there.”
Fowler will not play in next week's Sony Open in Hawaii, but he is scheduled to return to the PGA Tour at the American Express (formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic) in Palm Springs, California.
He will then skip Torrey Pines and play three consecutive weeks at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational in February.
Perhaps by then, the Rocket Mortgage logo will be back on his sleeve.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
