Rickie Fowler (-32) Wins Majors In Aggregate Scoring

Continuing the final major mop up, Doug Ferguson wrote that the PGA Championship salvaged the major season in the excitement department after the first three delivered resounding and deserving winners.

Kyle Porter featured the list of best scores in the majors of the 13 golfers who made the cut in all four. Not only did Rickie Fowler win at a staggering 32-under in the majors, but look at the separation he had from the last place finisher of the elite list.

Looking beyond the main numbers, Alex Myers notes this among other factoids.

With an aggregate score of 1,108 in the four events, Fowler matched Mickelson's total from 2001. Remarkably, the two are tied for the third-best combined score in major championship history and yet neither player took home one of golf's most coveted titles during those seasons.

Comments

[mehstg]

What a thrill it must be to have no wins and to be considered the best loser.

[Keith86]

F@#% Yeah team America

[Colin MacGillivray]

Since 1999 when I invented the Trophy and organized the presentation of it to Tiger Woods in Kuala Lumpur, I've been waiting for a bit of interest in the idea. Now two stories- wow. Being outside the industry and living in Borneo doesn't help!
http://www.golf-majors-champion.com/
If anyone knows of an eminent individual who want to make something of this event email me at macgillivraysATgmailDOTcom. Link also on the website. No cash required.

[Center Cut]

Nice idea, Colin. Good luck. Whatever happened to Jodie Mudd?

[KLG]

Got sick of it all and retired back home to Louisville. I think.

[ol Harv]

I loved Jodie Mudd's action.

[DTF]

Jason Day and Rickie Fowler the two most recent "winners"....who'da thunk it. Even if you add these "wins' to their combined total Bill Haas still has more by himself (5).

[The O]

Best aggregate score in four tournaments! That and $3.00 will get you a Starbucks!

[DTF]

That Jodie Mudd did hit it pure. I have a buddy whose claim to fame was beating Jody down the stretch to win his final college event....after that their golf careers diverged, dramatically!!

[Carl Peterson]

In that case, RF can go to Starbucks 800,000 times on his major earnings this year.

[DTF]

Carl, a vente mocha is about $4.77 in the city, how many of those can he get?!? (in SF same drink only about $4, that ain't right)

[4PuttAficionado (F3PA)]

I hope Rickie uses some of his winnings to buy looser fitting dri-tek golf clothes

[Chico]

Can't believe how hard you guys are on your own players. He is one of the best young players in the world, a nice guy- I've met him- has contended in all the majors this year and will surely rack up a good few wins in his career. Yet all you can do is pour scorn on him! Wonder if any of the critical posters have ever won on Tour?!!

[Smith]

Another Euro Rickie fan here, adding 1 to Chico the Wise.

I detest the whole "grow the game" nonsense, and the notion that we need fresh young faces to inspire young people to play golf. (Try your Dad, uncle or siblings, or your mates, or your PGA pro...)

But the lad has been swinging it wonderfully of late (I thought he went back to his old look a bit on the back 9 last week, but people do that, don't they?). I really like the the tempo and finish of his swing - a pleasure to watch every time. And he holed out very well too - lots of confident ones straight in the middle. And even if the humble wholesome "we-had-fun-out-there" stuff is partly schtick, I'll take it over Tiger's - or the big three, or Daly, or bloody Poults, etc.

To look at Rickie, you might even think that it isn't so bad, playing great golf and being paid millions to do so....

And I don't think the Ryder Cup is a done deal.

[Carl Peterson]

I was using The O's $3 figure -- I think if RF invests the $2.4M wisely the gains he earns will offset the difference in price that you've noted over the time that it would take him to drink 800,000 beverages.

[RLL]

Agree with you totally, Chico. And Fowler, with that gorgeous swing, will prove many here as wrong as they've consistently been about McIlroy now that his work with Butch is giving him the confidence to have a year like he's had with this one.

[d]

Fowler was not ready to win...he mentioned his mental gaffes on the back nine

nice to see him swinging and playing better

he and rory have come a long way since rickie was the "guy to beat" vs Rory's walker cup team

[Center Cut]

@ Carl Petersen - Starbucks...surely purchasing a roaster and a La Pavoni Europiccola would guarantee better results?

+1 of what Chico said - he will contend, but I add caveats - he did not contend at Augusta and Pinehurst, finishing 6 and 8 shots adrift of the winner and shooting 1 over on the final 9 at Augusta to finish with the same score for that round. He shot level golf for the back 9 at Pinehurst to finish with a score of +2 for the day. Level on those back 9 greens was no easy feat though.

The Open was better for him - he needed shoot well to overcome McIlroys large lead - couldn't do it, but shot a creditable -4 on the back 9 to finish the day with a return of -5.

PGA was the one he had the best chance, i feel - a solid -3 at the turn and he was in with a shot, but then he wilted, shooting par golf in for the back leg on a course set up for birdies. I think he felt the pressure then, more than any other time, and maybe he will showed a touch of nerves that hopefully he will learn to hold down.

[RLL]

Agree with you on that, d. You could see it in his eyes during the few bad patches on the final 9 where he lost the calm demeanor he'd been playing with. But to all but the most jaded -- or jealous here... -- he's made a quantum leap this year toward the career he could have.

[Press Agent]

Ricky is a very bright light in the sport of golf. A class act on and off the golf course. Whether he's the 'best loser' or not @mehstg, I'll put his record against yours any time.

[Hawkeye]

@Colin M: The Swedish Golf Federation's magazine Svensk Golf had the same idea already back in 1985, so you can't claim credit! Payne Stewart had the lowest aggregate that year, by the way.

[digsouth]

Fowler as just gotten better all year, and I used to never watch him swing, it was so whck, but now he has it goin' on, Ricky is getting ready to make a big splash.

I like that he has gotten rid of the county jail Sunday suit, and has a bit f curve in te brim of his ca..but I wish he would let his hair grow out again, and loose the cheesy mustache...just MHO- he can do as he pleases.

We could be on the verge of about a dozen really great players consistantly duking it out, and RF and RMc are primed to be in that dogpile..

[BrianS]

This is the most irrelvant "statistic" that there is. The events are not comparable to each other - the Masters was won with a -8, and the Open (British) with a -17. To take scores from different events, mash them up and try to get a "winner" makes 0 sense.

[WEG]

"Fowler was not ready to win...he mentioned his mental gaffes on the back nine."

And yet how many players have won majors from similar positions, playing no better than Fowler did? Quite a few I'd say. Bad idea to get hot the same week as Rory.

[ol Harv]

Chico, Mehstg is one of " you's guys ", isn't he?

[WEG]

The list at Colin MacGillivray's site is pretty interesting (or, I had too much time on my hands today). For example:

*Nicklaus 10 times #1 and 7 times #2? Let's see Tiger beat that! (He's at 5 and 2).

*Faldo could've been #1 5 straight years with maybe one less bad swing in 1991.

*4 of the last 6 years have seen a player lead this stat without winning a major; this didn't happen from 1995 to 2008 but happened 14 times (by my perhaps off count) between 1966 and 1994). Both years Payne Stewart lead this stat he didn't win a major.

*After Sanders in '67 and Barber in '69, from 1970 to 1990 everyone at #1 is at least a career multi-major winner, with Crenshaw and Stewart the only ones with less than 4. From 1991 to 2010 8 players were #1 without getting to 2 majors but in each case there was at least one multi-major winner within 5 strokes:

1991 Mudd beat Faldo by 5
1994 Roberts beat Els and Watson by 5
1995 Elk beat Shark by 4
1996 Lehman beat Norman by 2, Faldo by 5
1997 Leonard beat Woods by 5
2001 Duval beat Phil by 1
2003 Weir beat Els by 3
2009 Ross (not Oliver) Fisher beat Rory by 3

Overall the average margin of victory for the 8 guys listed above (not over the nearest multi-major winner, as listed above, over whoever was #2) was 2.3. Whereas in the other 12 years (i.e. from 1991 to 2010, when a multi-major winner was #1) the average margin of victory was 13.3.

It appears that for a non-superstar to have a big margin of victory in this stat they need something like: crowding 4 of their 7 career top 10's into the one calendar year which happens to be the reigning superstar's worst year (Miller Barber, 1969). Or: shooting 137 on the weekend at the PGA while your closest pursuer (Rory, 1 behind) shoots 148 (Charl Schwarzel, 2011).