Las Vegas, Nevada (UPDATED 6/6) (June 4, 2010)–Rickie Fowler, along with his long hair and fashion-forward clothing, fits Las Vegas. There are some things that just work and Fowler having a home in Las Vegas and spending quite a bit of time here playing and practicing at TPC Las Vegas among other Las Vegas golf courses, is one of those things that gels. And Fowler is having fun with everything, including while firing a 65 at Firestone in the first round of the PGA Tour's Memorial. Entering the final round, Fowler leads by 3. Click for an updated story.–By Brian Hurlburt.
"It was fun," Fowler told the media gathered in the press area at The Memorial presented by Morgan Stanley and hosted by Jack Nicklaus. "I had two fun guys to play with in D.A. Points and Kevin Sutherland." Fun seems to be a word with which Fowler is very familiar. Not a press conference or interview seems to go by without Fowler, the 21-year old former motocross rider, uttering the three-letter word a few times. He said it at least twice following his first round, most emphatically when asked about how he has been dealing with the magazine cover shoots, publicity, and star treatment that has been thrust upon him since he left Oklahoma State early to pursue his dream of playing on the PGA Tour.
"It's actually been a lot of fun," said Fowler, who purchased a home in the Las Vegas area prior to the 2009 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. "I try and just take it all in. You know, this is what I've always dreamt of doing. I think I told my parents when I was seven I wanted to play on the PGA Tour. And finally getting to do it. So I'm just kind of just sitting back, letting it all soak in, and just trying to play the best I can." Fowler was the co-leader entering the second round, but as of this writing was four shots in the lead after another hot round of 66.
The Las Vegas Golf Region is the home to plenty of national golf intrigue including more than 30 tour professionals from the major tours who have strong ties to Las Vegas golf courses. TPC Las Vegas is considered the home to pro golf in Las Vegas because most of the pros practice at the course during off time. The TPC Las Vegas is a resort Las Vegas golf course owned by the PGA Tour. Click now to view the official website of the TPC Las Vegas, and reserve your online Las Vegas golf tee times with the official course management.
Fowler says that although he has been in contention several times early on in his PGA Tour career, this is the best he has felt while near the top of the leaderboard. "Just being in contention the few times I have over the last eight months or so since I turned pro, this is by far the best that I've felt," Fowler said after the second round. " … I just feel really comfortable getting out and seeing my name on top of the leaderboard. It's not making me feel much nerves at all. Like I said, I'm feeling really comfortable. (I am) out there trying to put as much space as I can between me and, I think, Petrovic got to 8. So it was basically just going out and having some fun." There's that word again. Quotes from ASAPSports.com. GolfLasVegasNow.com writer Brian Hurlburt is a credentialed PGA Tour media writer. {mosi