Rickie Fowler lauds the sponsor invite to Truist Championship amid criticism for PGA Championship spot

Rickie Fowler acknowledged the Truist Championship sponsor exemption amid criticism for the PGA Championship invite. He is playing in this week's sixth PGA Tour signature event and just finished the opening round. Following that, the golfer joined the press conference.

In the presser, Fowler was asked to reflect upon his thoughts on the Truist Championship invitation. In response, the golfer stated, via ASAP Sports:

“You obviously want to come out and prove yourself. I haven't been playing all that well last year and the start of this year. It hasn't been very far off, but fortunate enough to having spent (no audio). For the tournaments to give me the opportunity to come play.

"A number of exemptions this year, which I'm very, very happy for and appreciate it from the sponsors and the tournament directors. Yeah, you want to come out and play well. So off to a good start and looking forward to keeping it rolling.”

Previously, Rickie Fowler received criticism from the golf community for receiving an invitation to the PGA Championship. The reason was his OWGR rank, which was No. 125, and he missed the Masters Tournament. However, there was a category called the recent Ryder Cup golfers, and Fowler played at Marco Simone in Italy. Thus, his appearance at the Ryder Cup helped him to be in the PGA Championship field.

Rickie Fowler described the Truist Championship course

Rickie Fowler is playing at the Truist Championship this week at the Philadelphia Cricket Club - Wissahickon Course. He finished the opening round with a T3 and scored 7-under. He fired six birdies on the front nine and two on the back nine.

Following that, in the press conference, Fowler talked about his thoughts on the course. His words were:

“It's great. It's a fun place to play. For the members that are here, this is about all you can ask for for somewhere you show up and play every day. I feel like they've done a great job of modernizing it over time, but it still has all the old school characteristics. It's a fun place to play.

"I figured scores were going to be pretty low with the softer conditions and not much wind today. It will be a little different maybe tomorrow with moisture and playing... We'll see. We're all enjoying it because this isn't -- we don't get to see many courses like this, old school architecture throughout the year.”

Fowler had no top 10 finish in the 2025 season yet, and his best finish of the year was a T21 at The American Express with 15 under. Last year, he played at the Wells Fargo Championship and finished in T43 with a 6-over.