Rickie Fowler trying to choke away lead Waste Management Open
Rickie Fowler held the lead for awhile through some tough conditions in Scottsdale, but he choked it away on the 11th hole.
Sunday’s conditions are decidedly not Arizona-like in February, with a steady rain and temperatures south of 60. Rickie Fowler posted a 64 on Saturday to enter the final round with a four shot lead, a lead he held steady into the back nine.
As Fowler got a little wayward through his front nine but avoided big numbers, no one was able to gain substantial ground on him. It was clearly going to be a matter of survival and exercising some past demons for Fowler, who had the 54-hole lead at last year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open and wound up finishing 11th.
As it turns out, it was the 11th hole that has dampened Fowler’s final round this year.
As the rain picked up, Fowler pulled out a driving iron to lay up on the shortish par-4. He went a little to the right, into cut of rough, and was forced to play short of the green and depend on a pitch to get up and down for par.
Rickie Fowler pitched it on the green, through the green, down the hill, around the bunker, and in the water pic.twitter.com/c3dnR4e9XR
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) February 3, 2019
When Fowler did his drop, things continued to go off the rails.
Rickie's drop then rolled into the water on its own while Rickie was surveying the green pic.twitter.com/WUsmH8Wopj
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) February 3, 2019
The NBC announcers were not sure exactly what kind of number Fowler was set to post as he emerged from the water hazard, but as it turned out he wound up with a triple-bogey 7 and clinging to a one-shot lead at -16. Meanwhile Brendan Grace birdied No. 12 to move up to -15.
Fowler gave back another shot on No. 12 with a bogey, so he and Grace are now tied for the lead with Matt Kuchar two back and Justin Thomas and Chez Reavie three back. Suddenly a matter of making a bunch of pars, surviving poor conditions and going home with his first win since 2017 is in serious peril. UPDATE: Grace is now in the lead alone, at -16.