Rickie Fowler shot an eventful 3-under 70 in the opening round of the Sentry, the first competitive round of the 2024 PGA Tour season.
He had eight birdies but dropped shots on four different holes. That included a double bogey on the par-4 third hole.
Unfortunately, Fowler is currently six strokes behind Sahit Segala, who completed the back nine at Kapalua and shot a 9-under 64.
Still, one of the big talking points from Thursday's round wasn't the roller coaster of a round, but Fowler's simple outfit.
It's notable that his white Cobra shirt didn't have the logos of Fowler's longtime sponsors, Farmers Insurance and Rocket Mortgage.
Of course, Fowler ended a four-year winning drought by winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit last year. He has been competing in this event since it was first held in 2019.
He has also competed in each edition of the Farmers Insurance Open, held at Torrey Pines each January since 2010. Interestingly, his best result in this competition was his tie for fifth place in his debut.
Fowler finished tied for 11th at last year's Farmers Insurance Open.
Nevertheless, his plain shirt Raised many eyebrows among golf fans:
I think that's a big sign of things to come on the PGA Tour.Like Wells Fargo…not good.
— James Davidson (@JDdavidson12) January 5, 2024
It's crazy to think that after having perhaps the best season in a decade in 2023, his sponsors dropped him.
— Coastie Oregon (@CoastieOregon) January 4, 2024
There is also speculation that Fowler will miss this year's Farmers Insurance Open, according to the X account @RickieLegion. track exclusively Fowler:
The question everyone had.
Ricky doesn't have Rocket Mortgage or Farmers Insurance on his shirt, as usual.
Nothing has been confirmed, but he won't be playing for the Farmers this year…almost confirmed.
There is no official announcement…
— Rickie Legion (@RickieLegion) January 5, 2024
That would mean the end of Fowler's endorsement deal with Farmers Insurance.
But what caught everyone's attention during Fowler's opening game was the hat he was wearing.
Designed with various Hawaiian flowers and other tropical plants, the cap features a large “L” on the front. A local Maui artist helped with the design.
No, the “L” does not stand for LIV Golf. some people believed it.
Instead, it represents Lahania, a town on Maui that was devastated by wildfires in August. More than 100 people died and thousands had their homes and livelihoods destroyed.
A big part of this week's tournament in Kapalua is to use golf as a distraction to lift the spirits of the island while raising awareness for affected communities.
PUMA will make these hats available for purchase, with all proceeds going to Lahania's recovery.
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.
