Rickie is proving himself in Major way

We’re not to the point of changing the team flag to red, white and orange, but you’d be safe to argue that at this point in the proceedings, the American team at the biennial Ryder Cup could have a fresh-faced leader in Rickie Fowler.

Go ahead, snicker. The kid’s won once on the PGA Tour. He’s more responsible for lining fairways with rows of Fowler-wannabes — kids who have wide-brimmed Puma hats pulled down over their eyes and the trademark orange pants and shirts — than he is for generating unforgettable competitive achievements on the golf course.

We’ll grant you all of that. Then we’ll ask you this: Have you seen him lately? Maybe he’s not all grown up, but the maturation of Rick Yutaka Fowler is taking place as we watch this 2014 PGA Tour season unfold. (For the record: Rick is his name, not Richard, and Yutaka was his grandfather’s name. Even simple things like names come with flavour when the subject is Fowler.)