How much is Rickie Fowler worth?
| Net Worth: | $35 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Golfer |
| Date of Birth: | December 13, 1988 (age 34) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.75 m) |
About Rickie Fowler
It wasn’t long ago when professional golf was ruled by Tiger Woods. In recent years however, one of golf’s brightest stars, Rickie Yuta Fowler, looks set to dominate the professional golfing scene. Rickie was ranked #4 in the Official World Golf Ranking after besting Thomas Pieters of Belgium in the 2016 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
Although a lack of major success in the majors has affected his ranking, he remains to be one of the richest and well-loved golfers today. He was the top guy as an amateur, ranking #1 for 37 consecutive weeks from 2007 to 2008. In 2009, Rickie turned pro and played the Albertsons Boise Open on the Nationwide Tour for his pro debut.
Rickie is largely a self-taught golfer, but he showed signs of greatness at golf at a young age when he won the SW League Final while battling against trigonometry in school. He was awarded the Ben Hogan trophy in 2008 for his “par” excellence.
Rickie also won the Western Junior and competed in the US Amateur’s, making him one of the most recognized young athletes in the world. Prior to taking up golf seriously, although he has been exposed to golf from a very early age, Rickie was a dirt bike rider. An accident made him give up dirt bike riding however and he turned his sights on the greens.
Rickie was named Rookie of the Year in 2010, beating Rory McIlroy, following it up with a US Ryder Cup victory that same year. He earned his first professional tournament victory in 2011, out-swinging everyone else to fashion an OneAsia Tour’s Kolon Korea Open win.
Rickie Fowler’s popularity does not only stem from the way he plays the game. Sure he can hit golf balls better than almost anybody on the green, but what makes him stand out is his great and very approachable personality.
A few years ago at a tour stop in Fort Worth, a little girl reportedly waited silently for her turn to get Fowler’s autograph. Yet missed her idol as she thought the man standing in front of her was lining up for an autograph as well. That man in front turned out to be a golf publicist who was just talking to some of Rickie’s family and Rickie had already left at that time. The little girl’s parents told everyone how much their daughter loved Fowler and that they had driven all the way, staying for the duration of the tournament though they were scheduled to go only for a day.
When Rickie found out, he came back, asked his dad to usher the little girl and her family back in, signed autographs, took selfies, and chatted with them to the delight of his #1 fan. He is known to be friends with most of the people on tour, waiting behind the green on the last hole in the final round, patting butts, and shaking hands even with players who are not the warm friendly types.
He is known to lead a lavish lifestyle, reaping the benefits of his earnings from playing the gentleman’s game and from several product endorsements. He owns a mansion on one of the coasts in Florida that boasts of a 2.7-acre private golf green. He does not shy away from the fact that he loves luxury cars either. His fleet includes a Mercedes AMG GTS, a Nissan GT-R, a Porsche GT3 RS, and a Mercedes Benz CLS 63 in his collection.
For Rickie, golf is the primary source of his basic income, although his endorsement deals often eclipse the prize monies he receives. He started playing golf when he was around 2 and has come a long way since, becoming at one time the 6th highest-paid golfer in the world.
Here’s a list of how Rickie earned his wealth:
- He was quoted to have won $7.3 million in 2015, prompting Forbes, a leading American business magazine, to land him in the top 10 of the highest-paid golfers.
- Golf Digest estimated his earnings at around $3.3 million in 2017 from playing on the course.
- He signed with Puma, a leading athletics sports brand, and he dons their apparel at every tournament that he attends.
- Cobra has outfitted him with a set of golf clubs with a promise to stay with him in every swing.
- He signed a deal with TaylorMade for an undisclosed amount to use the company’s golf balls and gloves.
His name is one of the biggest in the endorsement industry, as his popularity soared, earning him an estimated $10 million a year in endorsements alone, the bulk of which comes from Cobra Puma Golf, his primary sponsor for which he is the brand ambassador. He has endorsed Titleist and Rolex as well. All told, Fowler’s net worth is estimated to be around $35 million dollars from his winnings and endorsements.
Golf fans used to doubt if Rickie Fowler would make it far on the golf course as his bright colored clothes, spunky hats, and media coverage seemed to outweigh his wins at the time. He proved his critics wrong by winning four PGA Tour events, including the coveted Players Championship and the Honda Classic. In total Rickie won these four PGA Tour tournaments:
- Wells Fargo Championship (2015)
- The Players Championship (2015)
- Deutsche Bank Championship (2015)
- Honda Classic (2017)
Known to be an all-rounder, Fowler had been going up the rankings, thanks to ten solid Top 10 finishes. His improved putting has been noticed and this comes down to countless hours of practice on the green.
Summing-Up
Rickie Fowler is a prime example of the notion that good guys don’t necessarily finish last. Widely regarded as one of the nicest guys on and off the course, players revere him while his fans just can’t resist his charm. His kindness and generosity have gone beyond the confines of the greens, which is why top brands want him to be their flag bearer.
