LOS ANGELES — From his electric opening-round 62 to his neon-orange Sunday ensemble, Rickie Fowler showed off just about everything during the 123rd U.S. Open that once made him one of the most compelling figures in golf.
Unfortunately, that also included another painful fade from title contention after he took a share of the lead into the last round.
Fowler stumbled to a 75 Sunday, finishing in a three-way tie for fifth at Los Angeles Country Club. After 18 holes alongside eventual champion Wyndham Clark, Fowler ended up five shots back with the worst final round among the top 19 finishers.
To be sure, there was a significant bright side to Fowler’s week.
He rebounded from several years of disappointing play with his best result at a major since his runner-up finish at the 2018 Masters. He even set a U.S. Open record with 23 birdies over his four rounds at LACC, playing phenomenal golf for long stretches.
But after taking at least a share of the lead into each of the final three rounds and matching up with the untested Clark on Sunday, Fowler will know he let the opportunity of a lifetime slip away in his native Southern California.
Fowler has played in the final group three times in a major, but has yet to claim a trophy.
Clark also posted his worst score of the tournament Sunday, and he was available to be caught while he steadily persevered to an even-par 70.
Runner-up Rory McIlroy shot even par with no birdies on his final 17 holes, never making the move many expected from the superstar.
But Fowler made three bogeys on his first seven holes, and he made four more bogeys on the back nine. Everything betrayed him at different times: his driver, his irons, his short game and his putter.
He finished with one final bogey on the 18th, hitting his approach into the rough just off the green before leaving a 14-foot putt 6 inches short while the large gallery waited to celebrate Clark.
Fowler was gracious in Clark’s big moment, hugging his playing partner and telling Clark his late mother would have been proud. He’s still waiting for his own chance to celebrate a major with family and friends — and he had a legion in the galleries at LACC, 90 minutes from his native Murrieta.
Fowler broke Brendan Steele’s 2017 U.S. Open record for birdies with his 23rd of the week on the 14th. He missed his 24th birdie by an inch on the 15th, running his putt just right of the hole.
But Fowler still has never won a major, and his only win anywhere since early 2017 was at the 2019 Phoenix Open. For all of his success, fortune and fame, he has only five PGA Tour victories.
Fowler has never recaptured his form from 2014, when he posted a top-five finish in every major. The player once thought to be the future of the sport has struggled to compete after the pandemic, and he only recently showed signs of revitalization.
Fowler’s final-round trouble at LACC started on the second hole, where his approach shot rolled off the green and into a tough spot of rough. He three-putted the fifth for another bogey, and he put his second shot in the rough on the seventh, sending him back to 7 under.
A birdie on the generous eighth gave him hope, but he had to scrap to save par after a short approach shot on the 10th. His tee shot landed in a bunker on the 11th, and he made the skyward glance familiar to every golfer after missing an 8-foot par putt.
When his drive on the 12th landed in a hole in the rough, he couldn’t save par, missing a tough 12-foot putt. He fell to 6 under, his championship hopes essentially gone with six holes to play.
This story originally appeared on ESPN
