How many times has Rickie Fowler come close to winning a Major?

Modified Apr 19, 2025 18:41 GMT

PGA: Texas Children's Houston Open - Second Round - Source: Imagn

American golfer Rickie Fowler turned professional in 2009 and has won 10 titles in his career across all the tours.

After missing the first Major of the year, The Masters, Fowler is currently competing at the ongoing RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links, South Carolina. He's currently tied in the 40th position as round three is underway. Fowler had shot an over-par score of 72 at the end of the first day and recovered with a four-under par score of 67 in round two of the event.

Rickie Fowler at the RBC Heritage 2025 | Source: Getty

As the 36-year-old golfer prepares to compete at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in May, let's look at the times Rickie Fowler has come close to winning a Major event.

1. The U.S Open of 2014

Fowler got his best finish at the U.S Open at Pinehurst 11 years back as he shared the second position with Erik Compton at the end of the tournament. He entered the final round on Sunday in June 2014 while being only five shots behind the eventual winner, Martin Kaymer. However, he failed to catch up or get closer to the German golfer and settled for the T2 position with Compton.

2. The Open Championship of 2014

The American golfer finished at a career best position at three of the four Majors (excluding The Masters), in 2014, and The Open Championship was one of them. Rickie Fowler was held back in the second position by a two-stroke margin, while Rory McIlroy emerged victorious at the event. Fowler shared his second position with the Spaniard Sergio Garcia.

3. The PGA Championship of 2014

Even with a three-under-par score at the final round of the tournament, Fowler finished the Major event in the T3 position along with Henrik Stenson. While he trailed behind Phil Mickelson, who finished as the runner-up, Rory McIlroy took home his second PGA Championship title.

4. The Masters tournament of 2018

Four years after he finished in the T5 spot at the Masters (2014), Fowler lost the title to Patrick Reed by a one-stroke margin at Augusta to finish the event as the runner-up. This constitutes his best finish across all Majors to date.

The PGA Tour star also tied for the fifth position at the 2011 Open Championship and the 2017 U.S Open. Rickie Fowler has finished in the top five at all the Majors, yet has failed to claim a victory at any of them.

Rickie Fowler's best finishes this year

With a T21 spot at the American Express (Desert Classic) and a T18 spot at the Cognizant Classic, Fowler has had decent finishes in 2025.

At the past two PGA Tour events(outside The Masters), i.e., at the Valero Texas Open and Houston Texas Open, Rickie Fowler finished with a tie to 30th position and a tie to 52nd position, respectively.

About the author

Started out as a Golf Listener, soon got her bearing as a writer.

As an established Content Writer, Anusha aspires to be a Sports Journalist and joining Sportskeeda is the first step she's taken in that direction. From little to no golf knowledge, she now hopes to cover a PGA Tour event live, one day.

She graduated Bachelors of Arts with triple majors- Journalism, Psychology and English Literature. The two subjects, Psychology and literature, greatly influenced her writing, one by assisting in readers' perspective and one by improving language & vocabulary.
This gives her an edge while framing articles, as she knows what you want readers want and how to engage with them without all the huff and fluff. She strives not only to bring you genuine news stories, but to deliver perfection!

Besides golf, Anusha follows tennis and cricket avidly. She has even published several tennis news articles in one of her previous roles. This role nudged her towards Sports writing and reporting, and she decided to pursue MA in Sports Journalism in the future to nourish this dream.
Anusha has dabbled in different fields before she came back to her true passion. From travel blogs and B2B content to digital marketing and scripting digital ads, she has worked in various areas, and has a takeaway from each of those roles.

Outside journalism, Anusha either binges Mystery thrillers or writes poems, occasionally picks up a book and buries her face until she finishes it. In short, she is
A Potterhead with an eye like Sherlock, be it for content or errors!

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Edited by Rupesh