Sometimes I see players signing contracts with LIV Golf. This could define that kind of eagerness of some to interpret any statement or gesture of a player as an indication that they will end up in the Saudi league. The latest ‘victim’ of this passion for speculation has been Rickie Fowler. His sin was to appear in Hawaii to play the first tournament of the year of the PGA Tour without two of his usual sponsors: Farmers Insurance and Rocket Mortgage.
These two circumstances were taken advantage of by lovers of informational chaos to feed the possibility that Fowler was negotiating with LIV Golf. Well, Rickie has stepped forward and has settled the matter quite convincingly. “I’m not going anywhere, zero plans,” he said in a phone conversation with Golfweek.
Moreover, the Californian golfer had no qualms about explaining what the situation is with those two missing sponsors. In the case of Farmers, the contract that bound them simply ended at the end of 2023 and from the American insurer, which has just recently replaced its CEO, it has been decided not to continue this relationship after many years.
Meanwhile, with Rocket Mortgage the situation is different. According to Fowler, they are negotiating the continuity of the sponsorship and everything points to an agreement in the next few days.
“There’s no need to worry about that. Seeing how hard the guys on the PGA Tour work, especially being with Cantlay in the season and before this tournament, I’ve never seen a person spend so much time on the phone. These guys put in a lot of time and effort. Last year I was on the players’ council, but I’ve tried to stay out of it because I trust the guys who are there. With Jordan, Cantlay, Tiger and the others, I’ve just trusted that we’re all going to end up in a good place and I have no plans to go anywhere.”
And he adds: “I don’t look at social media much. I guess it’s the era we live in. There’s not much you can believe or trust, because anything can come out. I’m very excited about what lies ahead, about the Tour and all the time and effort these guys have put in.”
By the way, Fowler will not play the Farmers this year.
