x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
Rickie Fowler waited for Xander Schauffele to deliver a message
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf
News

Rickie Fowler waited for Xander Schauffele to deliver a message

By: Dylan Dethier
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Follow on Instagram
June 15, 2023
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shot matching rounds of 62.

Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shot matching rounds of 62.

Darren Riehl

LOS ANGELES — Xander Schauffele grinned at Rickie Fowler.

“I kept making birdie. I was like, ‘second still, second still, second still.’ I was like — bastard!”

The two stood behind the interview area, their work all done for the day. Fowler hadn’t been looking at leaderboards. He’d been plowing ahead, making birdie after birdie after birdie, 10 of ’em in all, part of a record-breaking round of eight under par. It wasn’t until the 9th hole, his 18th of the day, that he got a look at who had joined him on the leaderboard.

“I looked over and I saw you were seven under and I was like…oh,” Fowler said.

Schauffele had been chasing him the whole time. The two had opened a gap on the rest of the field — by the end of the morning wave, they’d bettered every other player by five shots — and Schauffele had been keeping tabs on Fowler’s scores.

“I was peeking all day, baby!”

It was a cool scene, the first two 62-shooters in U.S. Open history dapping it up, sharing good vibes. Better yet, it was a scene that showed us about the characters involved. It showed us something about golf, too.

Over the years Rickie Fowler has made it a habit of sticking around to congratulate his buddies as they come off the 18th green on Sunday, celebrating their victory. This has garnered him some measure of praise. But it’s earned him some ridicule, too, particularly as his victory total has plateaued while the victory totals of his well-trophied friends have continued to rise.

If you take a step back, praising a man for congratulating his friends is a sign of cynical brain-rot more than anything else. It’s always been a credit to Fowler that he makes this effort even when his own week has ended in something less than victory. Still, it must have been satisfying for Fowler to wait around this time for a different type of congratulatory scene altogether.

Fowler had teed off at 8:02 a.m. alongside Jason Day and Justin Rose. He birdied his first hole, bogeyed his second, birdied his third and was off. He beat his playing partners by 11 and 14 shots, respectively. After the round he signed his card and went through the media gauntlet and spent 15 minutes signing autographs in an adjacent fan zone. And then he returned to media, where he stood and waited.

Schauffele had started two groups behind him, at 8:24, with Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland. While his margin of victory wasn’t quite as dramatic (Rahm and Hovland each shot 69), Schauffele’s 62 matched Fowler’s total, leaving him the sole owner of the U.S. Open championship record for just 20 minutes. When he finished his final interview, there was Fowler waiting for him with a hug, a word of congratulations and a reminder to keep it going. On Thursdays you can root for all your friends; it’s not ’til the weekend you really have to beat ’em.

The scene (and the score) was a reminder that Fowler’s game is as good as it’s been in years. He’s logged 11 top-20s in his last 15 starts (and just missed one cut in that stretch). He’s climbed from outside the top 150 in the world to No. 45 entering this week. He’s found a new version of an elite iron game and he’s found a new putting stroke that looks awfully good, too. He hasn’t won since 2019 but his return to the top of the podium has felt, in recent months, increasingly inevitable.

The scene was a reminder that Schauffele’s game is among the most consistent on the planet. Sure, the World No. 6 hasn’t won since he ripped off two in a row last summer. But he also hasn’t missed a cut since the 2022 Masters. He’s finished top-20 in the year’s first two majors. He’s contended in basically every U.S. Open he’s ever played. And his game travels anywhere, because he’s good at every aspect of it.

The scene was also a reminder of the simple joys of a good round of golf. No, you likely don’t know the feeling of shooting 62 at a major championship (unless you’re reading this, Branden Grace) but I’m sure you know the high of stringing together 18 holes in a total that exceeds your expectations. There’s a euphoria to the accomplishment and a relief to the fact that you didn’t screw it up. And it you have a buddy that played well, too? That joy is a multiplier.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GOLF.com // GOLF Magazine (@golf_com)

In his post-round press conference Schauffele was asked about Fowler. The two live near each other now; Schauffele relocated to south Florida earlier this year, which means they’re both California transplants in Jupiter. They’ve gotten to spend more time together as a result.

“Yeah, Rick’s awesome,” Schauffele said. “He’s truly probably one of the nicest guys out here. I mean that when I say it.” (Schauffele is sarcastic often enough that the “truly” and the “I mean that” were both necessary for clarification.)

“I couldn’t be happier for him to see him in good form. Being in Florida a little bit more now, I’ve played some games with him, and he’s just a pleasure to be around. It’s not surprising to see him shoot eight under, either. I’m happy that he’s able get back into good form and can compete at a high level.”

There’s always pressure as the first-round leader to answer big-time questions, about what-ifs, even though the job is just a quarter completed. Fowler recognized that. But he was happy to step outside the moment and think big-picture, too. He recalled dressing up as Fred Couples as a kid. The last decade-plus, kids have been dressing up like him.

“My dream was always just to play on the PGA Tour. Yeah, win, but to play on the PGA Tour, and whatever came with that came with it,” he said.

“Yeah, if you were to tell me as a kid that I’m out here and I’ve won multiple times — yeah, I’d be stoked. But obviously being human and me and being out here, I want more. That’s why we’re still chugging along.”

Chugging right into the history books. In good company, too.

Latest In News

12 minutes ago

2025 Charles Schwab Challenge Saturday tee times: Round 3 groupings

2 hours ago

The genius of Scottie Scheffler’s caddie and USWO intrigue | Weekend 9

9 hours ago

A baffling pin, a DQ and an apology. The ousted golfer blames only 1 person

10 hours ago

'Fire lit under me': How New York Knicks' crushing loss fueled PGA Tour leader

Dylan Dethier

Dylan Dethier

Golf.com Editor

Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America, which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.

  • Author Twitter Account
  • Author Instagram Account

Related Articles

News
Sergio Garcia of Spain looks on while playing the 12th hole prior to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club

Sergio Garcia barely misses U.S. Open spot, likely snapping incredible streak

By: Art Stricklin
News
Joaquin Niemann hits a shot during the final round of LIV Adelaide.

Joaquin Niemann's LIV Adelaide win was important for 1 major reason

By: Josh Schrock
News
An Aerial view of Oakmont Country Club

2025 U.S. Open qualifying sites, dates: Every local and final qualifying location

By: Josh Sens
News
Bryson DeChambeau of the United States poses with the trophy after winning the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 16, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

U.S. Open adds LIV Golf exemption. Will the other majors follow suit?

By: Josh Schrock
News
bryson dechambeau screams at the u.s. open

A legendary U.S. Open changed 2 superstars' career trajectories

By: James Colgan
Features
Tiger Woods from the United States with caddie Steve Williams on the tee during the 100th United States Open golf tournament on 17th June 2000 at the Pebble Beach

‘Never been that nervous’: Tiger Woods’ ex-caddie revisits his biggest gaffe

By: Kevin Cook
News
PGA Tour Champions golfer Rocco Mediate reacts on the 18th hole after winning the 2024 Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS event at Timuquana Country Club.

'100 percent serious': U.S. Open legend offers major hot take

By: Kevin Cunningham
Apparel
Shop Bryson DeChambeau's U.S. Open look

Shop Bryson DeChambeau's U.S. Open-winning apparel from Stitch Golf

By: Jessica Marksbury
News
Rory McIlroy

‘I’m not perfect’: Analyst opens up after roasted Rory McIlroy read

By: Nick Piastowski
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version