Rickie Fowler's Masters 2025 hopes take a hit after shaky start at Valero Texas Open

Rickie Fowler's Masters 2025 hopes took a hit after his disappointing opening round at the Valero Texas Open. The final PGA Tour event before the first major championship is being held at TPC San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas.

The 36-year-old carded a 3-over par 75 on Thursday (April 3) with four bogeys against a birdie. He is tied for 120th and outside the projected cutline. Fowler needs to make the cut and win at TPC San Antonio to secure a last-minute invitation to Augusta National.

Rickie Fowler hasn't qualified through the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) or recent major finishes and needs a win in Texas to secure his spot. Fowler has failed to register a top-10 finish in the seven starts in the 2025 season on the PGA Tour. He has two top-25 finishes. In 2024, he had only one top-10 finish. His last win on the PGA Tour came at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.

The cutline at TPC San Antonio is expected to be even par or 1-over, leaving an uphill task for Fowler in the second round. He will need to score in the mid-60s to make the cut. If he fails, Fowler will miss the Masters for the fourth time in the last five years.

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A look at Rickie Fowler's record at the Masters

Rickie Fowler has a decent record at Augusta National. He has competed in 11 events at the Masters and has made the cut in 10. He has two top-five, three top-10, and five top-25 finishes.

Fowler's best finish at the Masters came in 2008, where he finished as a runner-up. He missed wearing a green jacket by one shot to Patrick Reed. He also tied for fifth in 2014 and for ninth in 2019.

Last year, Fowler made his 11th appearance at the Masters after missing the major for three consecutive years. Ahead of the tournament, he won the Masters Par 3 contest by two strokes over Sepp Straka, J.T. Poston, and amateur Santiago de la Fuente. For the unversed, the Masters Par 3 contest is played on a short nine-hole course filled with par-3 holes. Fowler was accompanied by his wife Allison and daughter Maya as caddie in the par 3 contest.

Playing after three years, Fowler said (via ASAP Sports):

"Yeah, it's been kind of long time coming to get back to here. Special place. One of my favorites."

Last year, Fowler scored 76, 74, 71, and 72 in the four rounds to finish 5-over. He tied for 30th at the tournament.

Let's take a look at Rickie Fowler's finishes in all 11 starts at the Masters:

• 2011: T38
• 2012: T27
• 2013: T38
• 2014: T5
• 2015: T12
• 2016: CUT
• 2017: T11
• 2018: 2
• 2019: T9
• 2020: T29
• 2024: T30