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Fowler's fantastic finish delivers the Players Championship

By: Golf Shake | Mon 11 May 2015


JUST when you think you have seen it all, along comes Rickie Fowler to win the most dramatic, most entertaining Players Championship ever. I would go one step further - not only was it the best Players Championship, but I believe you would be hard pushed to find a better finish to any PGA Tour event.

A poll among tour players voted Fowler the joint most overrated player alongside Ian Poulter, despite the fact that he finished in the top five in all four majors last season. He is a hugely talented player but he would probably admit that he has yet to fulfil his potential.

When he arrived at the 13th hole in the final round at Sawgrass he wasn't even in the top 10, but then began an extraordinary run of figures. He birdied the 13th, he birdied the 15th and he eagled the par-five 16th thanks to a three wood that finished two feet from the hole. He then went to the treacherous 17th, the par three with the green sitting on a small island. He went right at the flag and holed the putt for yet another birdie.


Highlights from the final round of the 2015 Players Championship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLWw47dQO5o


Still he wasn't finished. A huge drive at the 18th was followed by an approach to 15 feet, and he holed that putt too. It brought him home in 31 shots and his 67 took him to 12 under par, one ahead of Sergio Garcia at that point.

Fowler has been around the game long enough to know that he could still be caught, and after checking his card he headed for the range. And sure enough, one by one they caught him.

Ben Martin, already a winner this season, stood on the 18th tee on 12 under but carved his tee shot right and had to settle for a bogey, missing out by a shot. Garcia was one behind when he stood on the 17th and his tee shot barely held on to the back of the green, but, incredibly, he holed the putt and he, too, was 12 under par. A par at the last got him into a playoff with Fowler.

Kevin Kisner, a hugely promising young American, was next. He also made a two at the 17th to go to 12 under and his putt to win outright somehow stayed out at the 18th. So Fowler, Kisner and Garcia set off for a three-hole playoff - the 16th, 17th and 18th holes being used.

Not a soul had left the property as they began. All three scrambled to make their pars on the 16th. Garcia barely stayed on the green at the 17th and this time two-putted, while Fowler and Kisner both attacked the flag and both birdied the hole again. All three parred the 18th, which meant Garcia was eliminated.

Back to the 17th went Kisner and Fowler. Kisner hit first and finished 15 feet from the hole, while Fowler's shot almost pitched straight in the hole before finishing four feet away. When Kisner missed, Fowler stepped up and holed his putt to birdie the hole for the third time in one day and walk away with a $1.5m cheque, a bucketful of FedEx Cup points and a huge amount of confidence.

The most overrated player on the PGA Tour? I don't think so!


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Tags: Rickie Fowler PGA Tour



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