Rickie Fowler wins The Players in playoff for his biggest career win
Rickie Fowler showed his peers what overrated looks like.
Just days after an anonymous poll of PGA Tour players indicated Fowler — along with Ian Poulter — was the most overrated player on Tour, he won The Players Championship with the greatest finish in the tournament’s history.
Fowler played the final six holes of regulation in 6 under par, including an eagle-birdie-birdie finish to to turn a 1-over round into a closing 67. The California native played the final three holes of regulation in eight shots. He got a fortunate bounce just shy of the green at the par-5 16th, leading to a tap-in eagle. On the par-3 17th, a hole Fowler has demonstrated he loves, he hit his tee shot inside of 7 feet, leading to a birdie. A hole later, Fowler took an aggressive line on the water-lined hole, hitting a 331-yard tee shot to set up a birdie that took him to 12-under 276 and get into a playoff with 2008 champion Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner, who lost a playoff three weeks ago to Jim Furyk at the RBC Heritage.
Then in the first three-hole, aggregate-score playoff in Players history, he tied with Kisner at 1 under par with yet another birdie on No. 17, eliminating Garcia. When the playoff shifted back to the par-3 17th and into sudden death, Fowler threw a dart into the treacherous hole that led to a tournament-clinching birdie.
The 26-year-old played his final 10 holes in 8 under par.
This is Fowler’s first PGA Tour win since prevailing in another three-man playoff, over Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points, at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship.
Bill Haas and Ben Martin both shot 2-under 70 on Sunday to finish a shot off the pace at 11 under. Rory Sabbatini and Kevin Na finished at 9 under in a tie for sixth.
Rory McIlroy was part of a five-way tie for eighth, four shots out of the playoff.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
