Rickie Fowler Is in Danger of Missing the 2021 Masters
Rickie Fowler has been one of the most consistent performers at Augusta National Golf Club over the last decade, but he’s in grave danger of missing the 2021 edition of The Masters because of his poor play of late.
Fowler needs to be inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking to qualify for the next Masters in April. As of now, he’s currently hanging on by a thread at No. 48. If Fowler slips past 50, he could miss The Masters for the first time since 2011.
Rickie Fowler has a great track record at The Masters
No matter where Rickie Fowler’s game stands every April, he seems to turn it on at Augusta National no matter what. Fowler has finished inside the top 12 in five of his 10 appearances at Augusta.
He got close to his first major championship win at the 2018 Masters. Fowler shot a seven-under 65 and a five-under 67 on the weekend to finish in second place behind Patrick Reed. The next year, he shot four straight under-par rounds and finished ninth as Tiger Woods cruised to a historic victory.
In 10 trips to Augusta, Fowler has only missed the cut one time. Besides that, Fowler has finished no worse than 38th in his other appearances at The Masters.
Fowler has struggled to find his swing over the past few months, but he still found some magic when he returned to Augusta in November. He shot three rounds of two-under 70 and one poor round of 75 to finish T29 last weekend.
Fowler is in danger of missing the 2021 Masters
Fowler might have the best chance to win his first major at Augusta National because of his impressive track record there, but he might not even have a chance to do so in five short months. When The Masters returns in April, Fowler could be missing from the field.
There are many different ways you can qualify for The Masters each year. The easiest way is to be ranked inside the top 50 in OWGR when the tournament finalizes its field. Fowler has banked on that bullet point for the last few seasons, but he’s getting dangerously close to the cut line.
After the 2020 Masters, Fowler slipped to No. 48 in the OWGR. If he falls past 50 by the end of the year, he’ll have a tough road to Augusta National next spring.
How can Fowler ensure he receives a Masters invitation?
The good news for Fowler is there’s just over a month left in 2020 for him to hold his spot at No. 48. The bad news is he only has one more tournament to improve his ranking.
He better hope no one from outside of the top 50 leaps him at 48. There are only two PGA Tour tournaments left before the end of the year, so players like Kevin Streelman at 51 and Danny Willet at 54 will be trying to make up ground over these next two tournaments.
Fowler won’t be playing this weekend, but he will be in the field for the final PGA Tour event of the year in December —The Mayakoba Classic. A strong finish by Fowler in Mexico would lock him into the top 50 before 2021 and guarantee him a spot in The Masters come April.
All stats courtesy of PGA Tour
