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 The freshman at Oklahoma State has been ranked as the nation's top collegiate golfer by Golfweek for much of the season, and he had a 3-1 record as a member of the victorious United States Walker Cup team last September. Fowler's a trendy pick to contend in the big national amateur events this summer, and rightfully so. In college, he's shown he can go low - seven of his first 24 stroke-play rounds were in the 60s - and be near the top of the leaderboard, with one victory and seven top-eight finishes in his first eight tournaments. The former standout at Murrieta Valley High School is a two-time CIF Southern California Regional winner and 2006 California State High School champion. Here, he reflects on junior golf and his college experience: Talent aside, what enabled you to be so successful as a junior? I was able to manage my time pretty well. I didn't get stressed out so much in the classroom and was able to get my work done and get everything done on the golf course when I needed to. When did you start thinking about college golf? I think I was about 7 when I said I wanted to play on the PGA Tour, and my parents had always told me I needed to go to college first, so that was always in my mind.
What in your junior experience has helped you succeed as a college golfer? I was always busy with golf throughout high school, so that was good preparation. I was playing a lot of tournaments and traveling a lot, so I missed a lot of school, which is how college is. What's the one thing juniors need to have if they want to play college golf? The desire to want to play and work to be a good player. There's a lot of great players out there, but it's the kids who actually want to do something with golf and have the heart behind it [who are successful]. What do you enjoy about college golf? Playing alongside the guys on the team. We all live together out here, that's definitely one of the most fun parts. They're basically going to be the best friends for the rest of your life. Has your game improved since you entered college? All around I've gotten a little better. I'm still working on a few things - putting and chipping would probably be the biggest. Do you like Oklahoma State? I like the atmosphere. It's basically just school and golf. There's not many distractions, which in the long run is what I wanted because it basically forces me to do the two things I need to do when I'm here: get better at golf and get through school. Our facilities are awesome, and the coaches here are awesome. It's actually good being in the center of the United States because it's only two hours from the West Coast and two hours from the East Coast, so we never really have to worry about flying back late at night. Do you have any heroes? I look up to Tiger Woods for his work ethic and what he's done. I really look up to Jeremy McGrath, who was basically the king of Supercross. I've known him since I was 9 or 10. I usually looked up to him because of how he pulled through in the pressure situations. I like the pressure and usually play better under pressure. Where do you like to play in Southern California? I grew up out at the SCGA Golf Course in Murrieta. Occasionally, I go over to Bear Creek Golf Club and play with Tom Pernice Jr. and a lot of the members over there. Usually you can get some pretty good games going on. I think I get some of my best practice there. |
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