Ancestry
Fowlere boasts one of the most interesting ancestries in American sports. His full name is Rick Yutaka Fowler. His mother his half Navajo native American and his grandfater on the other side is Japanese. His middle name comes from his grandfather, Taka Tanaka.
He created the Rickie Fowler Foundation in 2011 to help Native American and Japanese communities
Rickie owes a lot to his family and always takes the time to spend any down time with them. His mother and sister accompany him at a few tournaments across the year.
Talented motocross rider
He learned from his dad, and even competed as a youngster. He credits his background in motocross for his fearless attitude on the course. Rickie was an avid motocross and BMX racer but decided to focus solely on golf when he was 14 after a serious dirt bike accident left him with several broken bones in his foot.
His father, Rod, who owns a trucking company, won the 1986 Baja 1000 dirt bike race while racing for a Yamaha team.
Top ranked amateur in the world
He held the top amateur ranking in parts of 2007 and 2008. He qualified for the 2008 US Open as an amateur, where he made the cut. He also helped the USA to two Walker Cup titles where he went toe-to-toe with some of the best European amateurs like Rory McIlroy at that time.
He attended Oklahoma State University and became the first and only freshman in NCAA history to be named NCAA Player of the Year. He wears orange on Sundays in honor of his alma mater.
Unique personality
Previously known for head-to-toe flamboyant outfits, he has since toned down his wardrobe, saying, “I want to be known more for my golf than my clothes and my hat. I want to contend in majors.”
His favorite food is sushi and Mexican (although not together).
He dressed up as The two-time Presidents Cup U.S. Team Captain, Fred Couples, for Halloween when he was a kid.
There is more to Rickie Fowler than meets the eye. Under that flat-brimmed hat and flashy style is a steely competitor with a deep spiritual life and an intriguing family background.
Rickie’s a member at the exclusive Medalist Club and he even has a sandwich named after him at a local deli: ham, turkey, bacon and provolone, maybe with orange bell peppers.
Rickie Fowler gets passionate about motocross, golf and his alma mater, Oklahoma State University.
Rickie has the OSU logo on his golf bag and wears orange every Sunday in homage to his school color. And guess what accent color you’ll see on his Cobra irons? Orange.
Rickie also has a love for tanning, he says “I’ll play golf without a shirt every now and again. I’ve done it in the Bahamas and at a few men’s clubs in the United States that allow it. Frees up your swing.”
Member of the Golf Boys band
Rickie famously starred in a couple of music videos alongside Ben Crane, Bubba Watson and Hunter Mahan as a part of their teenybopper band spoof, Golf Boys. The videos were produced by Farmers Insurance who also produced the series of “Dick Fowler PI” starring Rickie Fowler.
The video was a part of a series by PGA Tour pro and prankster Crane and raised cash for charity, with Farmers Insurance donating $1,000 for every 100,000 views the video gets on YouTube.
Fowler opined,“I think it’s really cool that we are in a position, the four of us, and obviously all the guys on the PGA Tour, able to be in a position where we can go raise awareness for different charities . . . And being able to do it while having fun and showing people that we are just normal, goofy guys that just happen to be a little bit better at golf than other people.”
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