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.)

It has been seen in his decision to connect with a veteran swing coach Butch Harmon after several years of trying to do it on his own, and it can be measured in the way he has stayed patient through the bumps. But mostly, it is evident by his Major championship efforts.

Whereas Fowler had had but two top-10 finishes in his 16 previous Major championships, this year he has been right there in each of them — joint fifth in the Masters, then tied for runner-up honours in both the US Open and British Open. True, it would be a stretch to say that Fowler was in position to win any of them, not with the way Bubba Watson dominated at Augusta, Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst No 2, and Rory McIlroy at Royal Hoylake, but the idea is to gain experience, to feel the heat, to learn what it’s like to play well in a Major.

Well, at 25, consider Fowler still in learning mode, which is why 2014 has been a breakout season — and certainly, the experience is starting to pay off. Case in point, Thursday’s opening round of the 96th PGA Championship. It started roughly as Fowler failed to birdie the soft par-five 10th to start, then found a greenside bunker with his tee shot at the par-three 11th, and missed the green at the par-four 12th.

“Made a couple of rough swings out there,” Fowler said, but the worst was yet to come. With a mere sand wedge from 100 yards at the 13th, Fowler was short, right, wet. He was lucky to make bogey. At the par-three 14th, he was wide left and did well to make another bogey.

Five holes into a day that players knew would yield low scores and Fowler was two over. It’s at a point like this where a player can scrap the game plan and try to force the issue, or stay focused and committed. Fowler chose the latter.

That it paid off handsomely — a two-under-par 69 — is a testament to Fowler’s growth as a PGA Tour player.

Four years ago this month, the American Ryder Cup team was captained by Corey Pavin and the Fowler name was being bandied about as a leader in the clubhouse for a captain’s pick. A PGA Tour rookie that season, Fowler had two second-place finishes, a handful of top-10s, and a massive and loyal army of fans — but no wins. The latter bothered people, most notably Tiger Woods, who was clearly going to be one of Pavin’s picks.

In the end, Pavin gave the nod to Fowler, who didn’t do anything to make the US lose, though he didn’t do enough to help them win.

For most of his brief time on Tour, Fowler has been the model citizen, both polite and accommodating, and the fact he is a marketing behemoth has nothing to do with his PGA Tour win total being stuck at one. Fact is, he’s still so young and has just 126 PGA Tour events to his credit. But, in this season of major improvement, Fowler has shown he is ready to step up into a leading role.