Rickie Fowler has yet to convert his talent into success at the Major Championships despite coming close on multiple occasions.
As an amateur, Fowler was ranked number one in the world for 36 weeks in 2007 and 2008, and after a decorated career in collegiate golf, he opted to turn professional in 2009.
His amateur career allowed him to acquire the sponsor exemptions needed to get his pro tilt underway and he earned his place on the PGA Tour quickly, joining as a full member in the 2009/10 season.
In his first full season, Fowler won the PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year award thanks to seven top 10 finishes, a tally that included two seconds.
Fowler in his famous orange.
He had a particularly strong year in 2015 with wins at THE PLAYERS Championship, the AAM Scottish Open and the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Amateur career
Fowler attended Murrieta Valley High School and represented the golf team. In his senior year, he led MVHS to the state championship, winning the Southwestern League final along the way.
After graduating high school, Fowler attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Here, Fowler won the Phil Mickelson Award as the nation's top freshman.
He also won the Sunnehanna Amateur in 2007 and 2008, as well as earning All-American honors in both seasons playing for the Cowboys. He also won the 2007 Players Amateur.
He made the cut in his US Open debut in 2008, shooting a one-under 70 in the first round at Torrey Pines for a share of seventh place. He would finish T60th but had grabbed the golfing world's attention.
In the same year, Fowler was named the winner of the Ben Hogan Award for outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States.
Fowler represented the United States in the Walker Cup twice and was on the winning side on both occasions.
Turning professional
After his second Walker Cup appearance in 2009, Fowler joined the paid ranks and the Nationwide Tour.
He recorded two top 10 finishes in three starts on the 2009 PGA Tour and would earn his tour card with T15th at Qualifying School. He also lost a playoff to Troy Matteson at the Frys.com Open.
He controversially won the 2010 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year ahead of Rory McIlroy, who had claimed a tournament victory and two thirds at that year's majors.
In 2011, Fowler had a few more near-misses on the PGA Tour and managed fifth at the British Open. Fowler looked like he might make a serious push for a first Major at the PGA Championship, but after a string of birdies early on Saturday, he faded and finished just outside the top 50.
He ventured worldwide to claim his first professional win at the OneAsia Tour's Kolon Korea Open, carding a 16-under 268 to defeat McIlroy by six strokes.
In May 2012, Fowler got one over on rival McIlroy again to complete his PGA Tour breakthrough at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Fowler didn't add to those wins in 2013, coming closest when he was runner-up at the Australian PGA Championship.
Breaking the world's top 10
Fowler enjoyed his best form at the Majors in 2014, becoming only the third player in history to finish in the top five at each of the Grand Slam events in the same calendar year.
Unfortunately, Fowler was also the first man to achieve this feat while not actually winning one.
Incredibly, Fowler finished second at both the US Open and the British Open, while at the PGA Championship he held a final-round lead but ended up in a tie for third.
Fowler also came close to scoring more Tour victories in 2014 with 10 top 10 finishes.
He couldn't convert high-level consistency into trophies, yet had the consolation of moving into the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time.
In May 2015, Fowler scored the biggest victory of his career when he won THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, the so-called "fifth Major".
Fowler needed to defeat Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner in a three-hole aggregate playoff that went to extra holes to secure the top prize of $1.8million.
In all Fowler played the famous island green par-3 17th hole six times that week and birdied it on five occasions.
The 2015 season continued to be successful as he added the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in July and the Deutsche Bank Championship in September.
More victories have been added, both sides of the Atlantic, but Fowler has failed to shed either his reputation for consistency over winning ability or his knack for logging Major Championship top 10s and not trophies.
Moreover, in finishing one shot behind Patrick Reed at the 2018 Masters, he became the only golfer to secure multiple top five finishes at all four Majors without ever winning one.
Rickie Fowler's personal life
Like many golfers from California, Fowler moved out of the state when making the decision to turn professional, first relocating to Nevada before settling in Jupiter, Florida, which was once home to Tiger Woods and currently counts Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson as residents.
Fowler's middle-name Yutaka was given to him in honor of his maternal grandfather. He has his grandfather's name tattooed in Japanese script on his left bicep.
Fowler has several other tattoos, including a set of Olympic rings to commemorate his participation in the 2016 Games.
He is part of tongue-in-cheek boyband The Golf Boys with Ben Crane, Bubba Watson and Hunter Mahan. The group recorded a video for the song "Oh Oh Oh", which was released as a charity benefit backed by Farmers Insurance ahead of the PGA Tour event they sponsor.
He married amateur track and field athlete and model Allison Stokke in 2019.
Fowler always wears orange on Sundays in honor of Oklahoma State University.
Rickie Fowler's net worth
Fowler has an estimated net worth of $18million, with the vast majority of his money coming from Tour winnings and sponsorships.
In 2020, Fowler bought a minority stake in alcoholic beverage makers the Long Drink Company.
He owns a collection of luxury vehicles including a Mercedes AMG GTS, a Nissan GT-R, a Porsche GT3 RS and a Mercedes Benz CLS 63.
Fowler's chief sponsors are Cobra Puma Golf, who supply his equipment and attire. He also has a marketing relationship with Rocket Mortgage.
He has founded the Rickie Fowler Foundation, which provides scholarships and student financial aid services, and helps raise the profile of golf among youths.