PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida – Rickie Fowler didn’t care about pretty. He cared about winning.
Staked to a four-shot lead, Fowler hit one putt into a sprinkler hole and a tee shot into the water. But when his lead was cut to one shot, Fowler answered with two big birdie putts to regain control and finished off a four-shot victory in the Honda Classic.
The bogey-bogey finish kept him from setting the 72-hole record at PGA National.
That wasn’t important.
At his feet was a crystal trophy, something he hasn’t owned in 13 months even as peers like Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy kept piling them up. It was Fowler’s turn Sunday.
He closed with a 1-over 71 for a four-shot victory over Gary Woodland, the only player to seriously challenge him, and Morgan Hoffmann.