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Rickie Fowler is currently competing in the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club in Michigan. He is -6 after round one and is T4 going into the second round. However, during the post-round interview on Thursday, he was left shocked and impressed to see NFL star Sauce Gardner playing golf.
Gardner recently posted a few videos of him playing golf. He is a newbie to the sport, having taken to it only recently. Hence, Rickie Fowler and other pro golfers were shown these videos after round one of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
"I mean, if Sauce is just getting going, we have... I like the possibilities," said Fowler.
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Will Zalatoris, the 27-year-old American golfer, was also quite impressed.
"I mean, he has got speed for one. I mean, the dude's an athlete. We know that. But I mean, that's pretty impressive. Clean up a little bit of short game there, and he's going to be pretty good pretty quick. I mean, all those football guys are freak athletes," Zalatoris said.
"I played with Calvin Johnson and Aidan Hutchinson on the 313 on Tuesday. And those guys were silly good around the greens. So that's pretty impressive," concluded Zalatoris.
Meanwhile, Adam Hadwin gave him a few tips for the short game. He said that Sauce Gardner needs to put a little bit more weight forward and come out of his breaks with a slightly steeper posture. However, he believes the NFL star is an incredible athlete, and he will gradually improve his setup and chipping.
Chris Kirk asked if Gardner started playing golf two weeks ago and said he doesn't need any advice from him as he is a lot better than he was two weeks into golf.
Sauce Gardner's development impressed Taylor Montgomery as well.
"Well, if he needs swing tips, I would tell him to go to somebody else," said Taylor.
Rickie Fowler makes an impactful start to 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Rickie Fowler had an impressive start to the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. The defending champion carded -6 for the day and finished T4 after day one. He remained bogey-free for the day and scored six birdies.
He looked in control of his game and showcased why he is considered one of the best golfers on the PGA Tour. However, in the second round, Fowler struggled to continue this momentum. He started his round on the back nine and remained even par through nine with a bogey and a birdie.
On the front nine, Rickie Fowler made a slight comeback to score two birdies and is currently -2 for the day and -8 for the event with two holes remaining. Meanwhile, the young Akshay Bhatia leads the event as he is -13, while Troy Merritt is -11.
