It's great to be somewhat of a role model. I want to be a positive and good role model and lead by example and try to do the best I can. Playing good golf definitely draws attention, but I want to have a good attitude on the course and do the right things.
— Rickie Fowler
I'm one of a few guys on the PGA Tour who doesn't work with an instructor. I'm not saying mechanics don't matter. But I play my best when I focus on staying in a good place mentally and keep the technique simple.
My ultimate goal is to be the best player in the world. If I'm the best player in the world, I'll be the face of American golf. It will come with the territory. That's where I want to be. If I want to be there, I have a lot of guys I have to beat out, in the U.S. and the world.
I always wear my hat backwards. That way, people can see my face.
All you can do is really the prep work and make sure you're ready to hit each golf shot. Outside of that, you're not sure really what's going to happen. It's a funny game, but I think that's why I love it. You never know, one day to the next; you could go shoot 62, and the next day you're going to shoot 78, and you can't predict it.
Quail Hollow is always going to be a special spot for me, and winning there gave me a little more credibility. But I want to be a multiple winner on the PGA Tour.
I come from great stock. I didn't come from money. My parents both worked really hard to keep food on the table and give my sister and me opportunities to play sports and see what we were good at.
When I was a kid, dressing right and looking good was a priority. As I grew up, I just wanted to stay that way, stick out a bit and have my own thing. That's where white belts and wearing some colors started. So signing with Puma was a great fit for me. I usually travel with nine pairs of golf shoes and 10 belts.
One of the main rules with my mom was if I broke a club, she was going to take it and I wouldn't get it back. So I made sure I kept all my clubs.
I draw a younger crowd who can relate to me. Some of the girl fans will message me online, saying, 'You're the reason I watch golf.'
I'd love to have a lasting impact as far as growing the game. It would be cool to be remembered as a major champion. I'd like to be remembered as a great golfer but also a great person, as far as growing the game and charity work. The whole well-rounded athlete.
Mom always got me to school and the driving range while Dad was working. She also kept me quiet and humble. Both of them taught me to let my golf do the talking.
It's harder to score well in a slow round. The tendency is to overthink shots while you're waiting and become mentally exhausted. Instead, chat with your playing partners about anything but golf. Concentrate on each shot for no more than a minute. You'll stay fresh.
The way I see it, thinking about the position of the club during the swing is about the worst way to play golf. It makes you tight and defensive, which kills your natural speed and rhythm. Although there's obvious value to minding your technique, at best you'll play an OK round. Where's the fun in that?
I don't want to be just known for the way I dress. I want to be known for how I play, how I treat people, and how I am as a role model. I don't just want to be, 'He dresses cool' or 'He dresses crazy.' You're going to have lovers and haters. I want my golf game to be the main thing.
On a dirt bike, when you're sizing up a jump, you can't have any second thoughts. You have to fully commit. If you don't, a lot of things can go wrong.
My grandpa would take me to the driving range and, I don't know, it didn't take me long to realize I'm a little different with golf. I have an eye for seeing things differently. Somehow I just see shots in my head.
I don't want to live life too cautiously. I mean, you can step off a curb and twist your ankle.
In my case, I was placing extreme pressure on my lower spine from rotating my hips too much. This is a common cause of bad backs - and bad shots - for golfers of all levels. In addition to resting, I worked with my trainer, Joey Diovisalvi, on strengthening the weaker lower-body muscles that contributed to my overactive hips and back pain.
I love being able to sign autographs when I get that extra free time after a round just to be able to give back to the fans.
My grandpa was the one; he started taking up golf when I was about two and introduced me to the game as far as just taking me to the driving range where I grew up playing. That was really all he had to do was let me hit a golf ball and kind of fell in love with it from there. He didn't really have to teach me a whole lot or anything.
It's pretty cool to see yourself on a video game.
Looking back, as far as looking when I was a kid and what I dreamed about doing as far as playing on the PGA Tour and winning on tour, I've got those taken care of.
My first years on tour, I tried to be super professional by considering the yardages to every feature and hazard. Over time my caddie and I noticed I play better when we keep it simple. Think about the distance you want the ball to fly, and only that number.
Puma was a great fit for me. Obviously, they were looking for someone that was going to fit their brand, and I was looking to wear stuff that was going to fit me and not where I was going to go out and just blend in with everyone else. So it's been a great fit.
Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or figuring out how many weeks to play in a row. That's been the biggest adjustment, coming from amateur and college golf.
I get out in my boat and go fishing inshore and offshore.
It's a lot harder to break bones in golf than motocross. But that made me fearless in a way.
There's still nothing I love more than being in the air. I've always liked speed and things on wheels, going out there and putting it all out there, being on the edge.
Playing on the PGA Tour and playing professional golf, I think it's what everyone has dreamed of doing - all the guys who are out here. I'm just happy to be able to call this a job, if you want to call it a job.
Most nervous I've ever been is probably the 2007 Walker Cup. I was a little boy playing with these 8 or 9 other guys that were the best amateurs in the country.
Obviously, signing on with Puma right when I turned pro, it's been a great fit for me to show off my colorful lifestyle as far as where I grew up and how I grew up, growing up on a public driving range and growing up around action sports my whole life. Not exactly the normal road that guys take to get to the PGA Tour.
Some of my fans don't really like it when I respond to people who say things that are trying to be hurtful on social media. But I think it's kind of funny. There's a lot of things that make me laugh, that people would try and say those things. I mean, there's some that I can't even retweet or respond to just because of how bad it is.
I just kind of hang out, watch movies and play golf.
