Rickie Fowler calls his shank ‘Spanish fade’ at Travelers Championship

Rickie Fowler opened the Travelers Championship 2025 with an even-par round on Thursday. The six-time PGA Tour winner returned to TPC River Highlands on Friday expecting a better round after sitting eight back of the leader. However, he got off to the worst start possible by shanking in his very first hole, which he called the “Spanish fade.”

Fowler’s found fairway with his first shot of Friday. However, he took a short iron in hand for the approach shot made a nightmare hit on the par-4 1st. This was his second shot of the day. The golf ball landed in the deep fescue well to the right of the green. Interestingly, the 36-year-old realized the ball was shooting way right immediately after the shot.

He hilariously ‘Spanish fade’ as if he was adding a new term to the golf dictionary.

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Here is how Rickie Fowler reacted to his wayward shot:

It is pertinent to note that ‘Spanish fade’ is not a term used in golf. The hilariously timed comment from the golfer had fans in bits online. While many started decoding the term, several others immediately suggested adding it to the golf lexicon. Some were notably happy the golfer stayed to making a joke comment instead of swearing.

Having made the shank, Fowler still had 61 yards left to the flag. The ace golfer made double bogey on No.1, which affected his rest of the round as well. The Ryder Cup star went on to shoot 42 on the outward nine, including a bogey or worse on all but three holes, and finished with a 77 on Day 2.

He plummeted down the bottom of the leaderboard, sitting T67 on the 72-man field, despite having a decent start.

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Rickie Fowler’s season so far

Rickie Fowler has had a mixed PGA Tour campaign so far in 2025. The ace golfer managed just one top-10 and four top-20 finishes in 13 event starts. However, he has only missed cut on one occasion – the PGA Championship. Apart from this, he had one withdrawal at the WM Phoenix Open.

Notably, his best finish of the year came at the Memorial Tournament, where he managed T7 and earned $603,200 in the process. This was also his last appearance ahead of this week’s Traveler’s Championship as he failed to make the US Open field. It is pertinent to note that the California native has earned over $1.5M in earnings this season so far.

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Listed below is Rickie Fowler’s 2025 PGA Tour season so far with earnings:

• The American Express – T21 – $83,270
• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – T53 – $43,000
• WM Phoenix Open – Withdrawn
• The Genesis Invitational – T39 – $82,000
• Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches – T18 – $117,607
• THE PLAYERS Championship – 71 – $50,750
• Texas Children’s Houston Open – T52 – $22,301
• Valero Texas Open – T30 – $62,225
• RBC Heritage – 68 – $39,000
• Truist Championship – T15 – $350,000
• PGA Championship – Missed Cut
• Charles Schwab Challenge – T16 – $140,125
• The Memorial Tournament – T7 – $603,200

Having struggled on Friday with a forgettable round, it’ll be interesting to see where Rickie Fowler finishes on the leaderboard this weekend.