Ricki Fowler admits Masters absence 'sucked' as he reveals motivation to end 3 year Augusta exile

Ricki Fowler admits his Masters absence "sucked" as he prepares to end his three-year exile from Augusta.

The American has turned his form around since the previous edition of the major, having fallen as low as 103 in the official world golf rankings. He just missed out on a place in top 50 in 2023, meaning he had to watch on last year. But his displays over the past year have seen rise to 33rd and have him back amongst the runners and riders for the famous old tournament next month.

Victory in the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Michigan over Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin meant Fowler recorded a first win on the AMerican circuit since 2019. And he says three years on the outside spurred him on to reclaim his place amongst the biggest names in golf, making him determined to be out there taking them on rather than streaming the action on his phone.

"I mean, honestly, it sucked," he said. "But knowing kind of what I had been doing and kind of moving back up the world ranking, that at least gave me something to look forward to knowing that I would be in Majors moving forward and hopefully be back at Augusta next year.

"But yeah, it was a bummer. I ended up watching a decent amount as I think everyone does. I was out playing golf and I watched some of the live streaming stuff on my phone, but that was some motivation to be back."

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