ORLANDO — Rickie Fowler is trying his best to fill Arnold Palmer’s shoes this week at Bay Hill — starting with his shoes.
At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Fowler is wearing a pair of custom green-and-white Puma high-tops featuring the King’s trademark umbrella and signature and the words “The Legend Lives On” written on the heels. The umbrella also is on Fowler’s shirt, and he’s donning an “Arnie’s Army” cap with the King’s silhouette stitched into the front.
In addition to trying to get his game back on track, Fowler, 29, one of the game’s most popular players who connects with fans of all stripes and ages, has a big role behind the scenes as the co-host of the tournament.
Fowler has helped raise money to benefit charities set up by Palmer before he passed on the eve of the 2016 Ryder Cup. This week, he was on the receiving end of the first Philanthropy Award presented by the Arnie’s Army Charitable Foundation, which comes with a $100,000 grant to the recipient’s charity. The award honors a “player who follows in the tradition of Arnold Palmer of giving back to their local communities and philanthropic causes.”
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Fowler has always given back — with his time and wallet, with a signature and a selfie, a smile and a handshake. His impact can be seen in the head-to-toe orange outfits a bunch of kids — and the occasional adult — wear to tournaments. While no one signed more autographs than Palmer, Fowler has certainly done his fair share of signing.
“His name obviously still does carry weight, it always will, it still has that presence, even with him not around,” Fowler said. “He definitely helped pave the way for what we're able to do out here. I was lucky enough to get the time that I did with Mr. Palmer and he was someone that inspired you to be a better version of yourself. Anything I can do to keep his memory alive, his legacy to live on, I’m there.”
After missing two of his last four cuts, Fowler, who is ranked No. 7 in the world and has eight professional victories, is working on returning to the version of a player he knows he can be. Fowler worked hard ahead of the tournament with Claude Harmon, especially on his takeaway.
Through two rounds, Fowler is happy with the results. He has shot 67-71 to be at 6 under and five shots off the lead set by Henrik Stenson.
“I was pretty messed up,” Fowler said. “Everything goes back to the first half of the swing, the takeaway to the top of the swing, getting the club in the proper position at the top kind of allows me to have full control through the rest of the swing. If it doesn't start off right, then we're just trying to play catch up. The big thing is getting the club in the right spot at the top and then really working on releasing the club properly through impact.”
A perfect ending to the week for Fowler would be to win. But as he said, it’s already been a winning week.
“As far as the responsibilities go, it's been fun being able to be here and represent Arnie and be one of the hosts,” Fowler said. “I would say at the end of the day golf is kind of the main priority and obviously trying to get the game going and that's a big part of why we're all here.
“But I would say receiving the award on Wednesday, that's definitely the highlight of the week regardless of how I play.”
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