Fowler hungry to win Arnold Palmer Invitational

Rickie Fowler is teeing up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the American is seeking his first PGA Tour title since February last year.

Published : Mar 15, 2018 05:42 IST

Rickie Fowler is hungry to win again and the American thinks Bay Hill — host of this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational — could be his course.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational gets underway on Thursday, with Fowler yet to win this season and not since the 2017 Honda Classic, though he claimed the Hero World Challenge in December – an unofficial event.

Fowler – still among the top 10 players in the world – tied for 37th at the WGC-Mexico Championship, having missed the cut at the Honda Classic last month.

Speaking ahead of Thursday's opening round with the Masters on the horizon, Fowler said: "If it happens this week, this year, that would be awesome.

"It would be good timing. But any time, to win this golf tournament, this golf course is a great test. I've had success here before, like I was talking about earlier, I won a junior tournament here, I've been in contention here a couple times. So it would kind of be the cherry on top.

"But I got a lot of guys lined up here on the range, a lot of guys on the course right now that are going to put up a pretty good fight, so it's going to be tough, I'm going to have to play well to be in contention, let alone win. So looking forward to it. Feel like the game's heading in the right direction, especially with Augusta around the corner, so definitely looking forward to getting off to a good start tomorrow."

Fowler is one of many big names teeing it up this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and defending champion Marc Leishman will take to the course in Orlando, Florida.

Fowler is also known for his colourful wardrobes and glowing personality, often drawing comparisons to trailblazer and seven-time major champion Arnold Palmer.

But Fowler does not think anyone can fill Palmer's shoes.

"No, that will never happen," Fowler said. "No one really can. He definitely helped pave the way for what we're able to do out here. Obviously guys like Tiger, through that generation, he took it to a new level, but none of this would be possible, none of it would have been possible for Tiger without guys like Arnie setting the stage."

While Fowler hears the Palmer comparisons, it was never his intention to directly emulate anyone.

"I wouldn't say I've tried to be anyone that I'm not," Fowler said. "I definitely am true to myself. And that has a lot to do with upbringing, growing up, but, yeah, he's someone that inspires you to be a better person and those are the kind of people that you want to surround yourself with. I was lucky enough to get the time that I did with Mr. Palmer and, yeah, he was someone that inspired you to be a better version of yourself."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment