Rickie Fowler had never won as a pro in front of his dad or his grandfather, who introduced him to golf and who Fowler tributes with a tattoo on his arm. He had a chance on Sunday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
However, he lost a two-shot lead on the 17th hole and, after rallying to get into a playoff against Hideki Matsuyama and three extra holes, the same 17th cost Fowler the tournament.
Afterward, Fowler was emotional, disappointed that he wasn't able to deliver a win for hist family.
Rickie Fowler very emotional after losing in the 4th hole playoff at the @WMPhoenixOpen. #12Sports pic.twitter.com/M0ClR52PWx
— Cameron Cox (@CamCox12) February 8, 2016
"The hard part is having, you know, all my friends and family and grandpa and my dad who haven't seen me win," Fowler told reporters, fighting back tears. "But I will be able to kinda hang with them tonight. I'll be all right. With how good I'm playing, I know I can win. That's the hard part."
Fowler has won four times around the world since May 2015, including The Players Championship, Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, Deutsche Bank Championship and, two weeks ago, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
