Rickie Fowler echoes Rory McIlroy's feelings on cutting back the golf schedule

Rickie Fowler echoed Rory McIlroy's sentiments about the tight-packed golf schedule. The American golfer has teed it up at this week's FedEx St. Jude Championship, starting with its first round on Thursday, August 7. He had an amazing start and settled for seventh place after playing the first 18 holes.

In the post-round press conference of the St. Jude Championship, Fowler opened up about his performance and also reflected on his busy schedule. He said (via ASAP Sports):

"It's kind of been trending and going that way. I wish I wouldn't have needed to play as much golf as I have, but that's also at the same time helped me. I'm glad the body is hanging in there and allowing me to play some golf, as well as my family traveling with me. We haven't spent much time at home. I think I counted it up, we've had roughly about 11 days since the end of April at home. We're going to see if we can extend that a little longer."

Rory McIlroy opened up about his schedule in January and said (via Golf Digest):

"I just played way too much last year. I want to be home more. I want to be a little more rested and fresh for bigger events.....Look, it’s a balance. When we’re growing up dreaming of professional golfers and trying to get the best out of ourselves, the last thing on our mind is being an entertainer."

Rory McIlroy has missed this week's St. Jude Championship despite being eligible to compete. The field now consists of 69 players, and after the first round, Akshay Bhatia took the lead at 8-under. Tommy Fleetwood is settled in second place.

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A look into Rickie Fowler's performance at the St. Jude Championship 2025

Rickie Fowler started his campaign at the FedEx St. Jude Championship with an opening round of 4-under. He made a par on the first hole and then recorded a birdie on the second. Fowler made three birdies on the back nine for a round of 66 and tied for seventh place with Maverick McNealy, Ben Griffin, Russell Henley, and Collin Morikawa.

Meanwhile, this season on the PGA Tour, Fowler started his campaign at The American Express with a T21 finish. He played four rounds of 69, 62, 71, and 71. However, after a decent start, he struggled in his next outing and finished in a tie for 53rd place, but then withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open.

Rickie Fowler has played in 19 tournaments this season on the PGA Tour and made the cut in 16 of them. However, he struggled in most of the tournaments and could only record one finish in the top 10.

He was tied for seventh place at the Memorial Tournament. The American golfer finished in 64th place in the FedEx Cup standings to secure his spot in the first playoff event. Rickie Fowler is looking forward to a decent finish this week to jump into the top 50 in the standings to qualify for the BMW Championship.