Rickie Fowler had a rough start at The Open Championship on Thursday, as he faced a heckler and a controversial out-of-bounds rule that cost him dearly.
Fowler, who is looking for his first major title, revealed that a spectator at Royal Liverpool Golf Club called him a 'coward' for pulling out of his investment in the Leeds soccer club. Fowler had announced in June that he would be joining fellow golfers Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in investing in 49ers Enterprises, the group that has acquired the British soccer club Leeds.
"I don't know what his deal was, but he wasn't happy with me," Fowler said of the heckler. "He was just trying to get under my skin. I just ignored him."
Fowler also had to deal with a frustrating course feature that led to a disastrous finish on his opening round. The internal out-of-bounds rule, which is in place to the right of the 3rd and 18th fairways, is a remnant of the course's history as a horse racing track. Fowler hit two shots out of bounds on his second shots on the par-5 18th hole, resulting in an eight on his scorecard.
"It was just a bad swing," Fowler said of his first out-of-bounds shot. "I was trying to hit a low cut and I just hit it straight right. The second one, I was just trying to get it up there somewhere and I hit it too far left. It was just a bad hole."
Fowler finished his round with a one-over 73, dropping him to a tie for 48th place. He will need to bounce back on Friday to make the cut and have a chance to contend for the Claret Jug.
Fowler, who reunited with his former coach Butch Harmon in October, has been showing signs of improvement after a long slump that saw him drop out of the top 100 in the world rankings. He has fond memories of playing at Royal Liverpool in 2014, when he finished second to Rory McIlroy.
"I love this course," Fowler said. "It's a great test of golf. You have to hit all kinds of shots and deal with different conditions. I feel like I have the game to win here. I just have to play better tomorrow and get myself back in it."
