Another major season has come and gone without Rickie Fowler picking up his maiden major victory, but there was something beneath the surface that made the task at hand a little more difficult.
On Wednesday, Fowler announced that he would not be playing in next week’s first FedEx Cup Playoff event, The Northern Trust, because an MRI showed that he has been playing with a partial tear of his right oblique. He made the announcement on Instagram.
“News got out last week that I was dealing with an oblique injury the past two tournaments,” Fowler wrote. “It was confirmed yesterday, via MRI, that I have a partial tear in my right oblique. My team and I feel like it’s best not to play next week in the Northern Trust. I will be back healthy and competitive ASAP for the FedEx Cup and more than ready for the Ryder Cup!”
Fowler sits in 17th place in the FedEx Cup standings despite having not won a tournament yet this season.
The injury, which came to light during last week’s PGA Championship, had been bothering him the week prior at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational where he finished in a tie for 17th. At the final major, Fowler dropped to a T12 following a 1-over par 71 in the final round.
Fowler has racked up 12 top-25 finishes in 2018, including a pair of runners-up at the Masters and the OHL Mayakoba Classic. He was also one of eight automatic qualifiers for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
