Rickie Fowler relishing 'fresh start' on PGA Tour after three-month absence

Rickie Fowler has opened up about his eagerness for a 'fresh start' on the PGA Tour as he gears up for his first competitive game after a three-month hiatus from the greens.

Having last played at The Open Championship in July, where he finished a disappointing 71st at 13-over-par, Fowler took a break from the PGA Tour. He missed out on the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship and didn't make the cut for the FedEx Cup playoffs following a challenging week in Scotland.

Despite being away from the spotlight, Fowler celebrated the arrival of his second daughter, Nellie, with wife Allison Stokke in August.

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Now, nearly two months later, Fowler is ready to refocus on his golf career. After a tough previous season, he's looking forward to hopefully turning things around.

"It kind of feels a little bit like a fresh start," Fowler expressed with optimism before the Sanderson Farms Championship. "Like I said, excited to kind of get back into it, just play a few events, the reminder of the fall and December, and get ready for next year."

The upcoming championship marks the beginning of the FedEx Cup fall season, offering players outside the top-125 a chance to secure their PGA Tour status for the future, leading into 2025.

Fowler, who secured his future with a win at last year's RBC Heritage, admitted he might be a bit rusty as he enters this new event for the first time. Excited about the opportunity, the six-time PGA Tour champ shared enthusiastically, "I'm looking forward to it," and elaborated on how he's been spending his break.

"Like I said, to come here and, one, looking to play well, but at the same time just coming off of some downtime and shake some rust off and hopefully there's not much to shake off... It's been a while.

"It's nearly three months now. I've definitely enjoyed time at home, getting into much more of a routine there, which is something that we rarely get to do, not being at home for extended periods of timing, so I have enjoyed that with the new addition and just being much more of a dad and being home.

"I guess the last month and a half or so I've gotten back more into working on the game and getting ready to come here. It was odd packing, back to life on the road."

Last season, despite 20 starts, Fowler only made it into the top-20 twice, with one being a title defense at the RBC Heritage and the other at the Travelers Championship.

During this period, he also missed six cuts, which plummeted him to 70th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), a stark contrast to his peak performance levels. While his PGA Tour status isn't on the line in the upcoming weeks, Rickie Fowler is clearly set on reclaiming his top form.

"Luckily for me, having won last year, I'm safe on certain things, but there's definitely things for me to play for," he said. "Obviously to win and put myself in a better situation, get myself back in a good spot World Ranking-wise, ultimately stay inside Top 125, be in The Players.

"Plenty to play for, but at the same time, it's not life or death. For me coming off that bit of downtime and refreshed and ready to go, I'm looking forward to playing well and kind of building a little bit better platform than where I was last year and put myself in a better position to have a little more excitement, build some momentum and confidence going into the '25 season."