	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

QUICKEN LOANS NATIONAL

August 2, 2015

Rickie Fowler

GAINESVILLE, VIRGINIA

Q. I was really impressed you were able to birdie 2 of the last 3 holes after fighting it midway through the round.
RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah. I fought it for awhile out there. Not the start that I wanted to get off to but nice to kind of turn things around and make some swings coming in. Made a few good putts. So, had to at least scare Troy a little bit. Looks like I putted really solidly today.

Q. Does a day like today turn into a really good learning experience where you don't have your A game and get it in contention and get in under par?
RICKIE FOWLER: I never look at it as really losing. You either win or you're out here learning something and really the best way to kind of keep moving forward. Like you said, didn't really have my best. I was able to kind of hang around and, you know, tried to give it a little bit of a run at the end. Missed a couple but, yeah, solid finish. Good 2nd place finish there.

Q. I thought the golf course played a lot faster, a lot more difficult.
RICKIE FOWLER: It was a lot different today. This is the way I was hoping the course would play for the whole week. You know, it was unfortunate to see it get two good downpours and soften up the course. It would have been fun to see the scores and kind of where everything would have turned out if it was like this all week.

Q. What a great week for you and for Quicken Loans.
RICKIE FOWLER: A great week and good partnership with Quicken Loans. Glad I could pull through and at least be up there on the leaderboard for them, get the Hole-In-One, payoff someone's mortgage. Great week.

Q. Got two bigs weeks ahead.
RICKIE FOWLER: Yes.

Q. Second place finish for Rickie Fowler after 69 today. Little disappointed how you played yesterday. How would you rate your performance today?
RICKIE FOWLER: Depends on which 9 you look at. Better coming in. I was able to kind of rally and make some birdies coming in but really disappointed with how I went out. I made some good swings, made birdie on 3 and actually made a good swing on others. Didn't get anything going. Made a few mistakes. Before I know it I'm a couple over-par and kind of fighting my way to get back in the tournament.

Q. Still you come in and get the 2nd place finish. Is that a momentum builder as you move towards Firestone and the PGA championship?
RICKIE FOWLER: It is. I've been swinging really well as of late. Really feel good about my game. Butch and I have done some great work. Really looking forward to the rest of the summer. Akron is one of my favorite courses we play all year and the final Major. So, we're off into The Playoffs. This is a good time to be playing well.

Q. Finally, you gave a big hug to the eventual winner, Troy Merritt. He's toiled out here, actually on both Tours to finally get a victory. Is this special for you?
RICKIE FOWLER: It is. Obviously I wanted to be out there and have the opportunity to win but he's a really good friend of mine. We both came out at the same time on Tour as rookies. Just giving him a hard time. We had a playoff for the Kodak Challenge the first year. He stole one in there for birdie -- earned it with that shot, really, and he got another one from me here today. So, really excited for him. It's a huge win and I think you were saying he hasn't played in a Major yet. That's changing. See him in Akron. I'm looking forward to it. He's a great player and have some fun together.

Q. This is one of those tournaments -- you want to win everyone of them. To be here and come in 2nd place at the Quicken Loans National, what does it mean for you?
RICKIE FOWLER: You really couldn't have scripted it out any better other than me holding the trophy up out there, making the Hole-In-One to pay for the mortgage with Quicken Loans. Have a partnership with what we're doing back in Detroit and what they did the whole week over here for the troops and just raising money for charity, it's really fun to be a part of. Then on top of that little bonus finishing 2nd.

Q. RTJ as a venue and stroke play tournament, how was that?
RICKIE FOWLER: I thought it was great. Unfortunately we got some rain earlier in the week to soften up the golf course. Today we really got to see it kind of play a little bit more to it's potential. Still little soft out there. I really like the golf course. Love the layout. Love the lines. Greens were great even from being soft and spiked up. Still able to make some putts. Enjoyed it. Wish I could have gotten off to a little bit of a better start today. All in all, a great week.

Q. Confidence for you as you now move forward with the PGA championship in a few weeks?
RICKIE FOWLER: I'm really looking forward to it. I've been swinging really well. I made some mistakes here and kind of put myself behind the 8 ball today but really looking forward to next week, one of my favorites courses of the year, Firestone. Then we got the final Major and off into The Playoffs. Great time to be playing well.

Q. Your colleague, you know, gets his first win. You guys are a fraternity. Your thoughts on him getting his first victory.
RICKIE FOWLER: He went out there and earned it today. He played some great golf. I didn't get to watch any of it. The score that he put up being in the lead and what he did yesterday to back it up with a solid round of golf, it's what you got to do to win. Like I said, I didn't get off to the start that I needed. It would have been fun to going back and forth. He went out there and got the job done today. Proud of him.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297