Rickie Fowler struggled to finish round at Rocket Mortgage Classic because of bathroom emergency

Even the best golfers in the world can get pretty shaky on the golf course when nature calls. It impacted the last few holes of Rickie Fowler’s first round at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. And the PGA Tour star wasn’t too embarrassed to talk about it.

Fowler posted a 5-under-par 67 during Thursday’s round but finished the afternoon carding a pair of bogeys on the final two holes. He says his mind was focused on something else near the end of his round.

“To be perfectly honest, I had to go to the bathroom pretty badly,” Fowler said of his bogey-bogey finish on Day 1. “There weren’t many bathrooms the last five holes, so I was a little shaky coming in. Not to necessarily blame the finish on that, but it didn’t help.”

Rickie Fowler is -5 after the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He may have finished better… if not for a lack of restrooms.

"To be perfectly honest, I had to go to the bathroom pretty badly," he laughed. "I was a little shaky coming in." 😂 pic.twitter.com/vv6yBsOQXt

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) June 29, 2023

Cue the “One of us,” GIF.

Even though his day could’ve gone even better, he still finished at -5 for the afternoon and set himself up for an even better round on Day 2. Apparently, there were no bathroom issues on Friday.

Fowler carded a 7-under-par 65 in the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, putting him at -12 for the tournament. He sits in a tie for third entering Saturday’s round, just one shot back of co-leaders Taylor Moore and Taylor Pendrith (-13).

Fowler enters the weekend with a great shot to win this year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. Assuming he doesn’t run into anymore bathroom issues, that is.

The return of Rickie Fowler?

Early in his career, Fowler was considered one of the up-and-coming stars on the PGA Tour. He’s still a fan favorite, but the 34-year-old hasn’t found much success recently.

Fowler’s last PGA Tour victory came at the WM Phoenix Open in 2019, carding a -17 for the event. He has yet to win a major championship in his career. Many thought his best golf might be behind him.

But Fowler catapulted himself back onto golf’s radar during the U.S. Open this year. He entered the final round in the final pairing with a great shot to win his first major title. The former Oklahoma State standout came up short, but it seemed to be the spark he needed to rejuvenate his career.

Fowler now enters the weekend of the Rocket Mortgage Classic with a great shot to win his first tournament in four years. Perhaps that would provide him with the confidence and momentum boost to start rattling off more victories in the near future.