We are going to start looking at individual golfers and their chances of winning the 2016 Masters as April draws ever closer. Adam Scott was up first. Then we looked at Rory McIlroy. We also broke down Phil Mickelson. Today, it's Rickie Fowler. Let's take a look at where Fowler stands with Augusta just two weeks away.
World Rank -- No. 5: Fowler has consistently been in the top five all year. Unless Scott wins again before the Masters, this is unlikely to change.
Odds of Winning -- 17-1: Tasty. This is one of my favorite bets for Augusta. Fowler has never won, no, but if you play this thing 17 times, I'm pretty sure he wins at least one of them if not more.
Why he can win: Fowler is one of eight golfers to have made the cut here each of the last five times he's played. That's some serious consistency. And not only that, Fowler has pretty consistently improved here from finishing top 40 in his first apperance five years ago to top 12 finishes each of the last two years.
Fowler ranks No. 7 in strokes gained putting as well as strokes gained tee to green this season. Fowler and Phil Mickelson are the only golfers that rank in the top 20 in both of those categories. The point here is that if you still view Fowler as the semi-bro who likes to ride his dirt bike to tournaments and doesn't care about winning and losing, then you're missing out. He's pretty easily one of the five best golfers on the planet.
Why he can't win: This was actually more difficult for me to come up with than for any player I've done this on. Fowler is more consistent than most, hits it forever (averaging over 301 yards per drive this year) and has an acute understanding of the greens at Augusta. I suppose the knock on him is that he's never won the big one although nobody has until they have, right?
Quotable: “I think the Players Championship last year was a big stepping stone for Rickie. That’s a world-class tournament and a just a minor step below a major. I feel that the way he drives the golf ball and the way he’s striking it now, (a major win) is inevitable." -- Phil Mickelson on Rickie Fowler (Feb. 24, 2016)
Stat to know -- 3: Players have a better cumulative score than Fowler's 12-under 576 the last two seasons. Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth are those three players. Good company, all.
Recently at Augusta
2011: T37
2012: T28
2013: T37
2014: T5
2015: T12
Recently on PGA Tour: Fowler has finished in the top eight at four of his last five PGA Tour stroke play events this year. Only Adam Scott, Jason Day and Bubba Watson are hotter.
Outlook: This is a no-brainer for me. It's impossible to pick winners, but picking contenders seems more reasonable. I would be shocked if the red-hot (orange-hot?) Fowler isn't at least competitive on the weekend at Augusta in 2016.
