is it just me or does rickie...

[Krt22]

I don't think Rickie's lack of major success or lack of more total wins has anything to do with his relationships, drive, hunger or being a "beta". He just has some quirks in the swing that can result in a double here and there, at just about any given time. He can easily post the most birdies in the the field, along with a few blow ups. So lot's top 10 and top 20 finishes, but needs a special week where he puts together 4 clean rounds in order to pull out a win, even more so with Majors where birdies are harder to come by

[Nard_S]

Keep hearing how he's a short knocker. One time, watched him hit a #2i off the turf 300 yards into a green so there's that. Think guy has all the tools but his flat swing is a liability out of the rough. He certainly does not play hungry and maybe when the endorsement deals dry up that may change. When he's on a birdie tear, he's pretty amazing. One of the best putting strokes going.

[iBanesto]

Ah... Alison!

[1puttTUT]

The recency bias is a little strong with the Rickie "hate" at the moment, but he's definitely in a slump. The strength of his game has always been putting and he's way off right now (I hope he doesn't start playing one of those obnoxious spaceship putters ?). I do think he'll bounce back and return to his win every other year form, and I do think he'll win a major or two eventually, but it's hard to imagine it happening this year.

[Golfjack]

Quite interesting. He's about middle of the pack distance and SG wise off the tee, or even slightly better some years. His stats have actually been really good last few years, getting more than 1 stroke on the field. Good for some top 15 in SG. 2017 he was even number 1 when his putter was on fire. He's strangely not very consistent though. Not that he's ever really bad (we're really nitpicking the 32nd OWGR player here), but he is not consistently excellent to yield him another multi win season. He's still only 31. Maybe he'll turn things around, or not. He's won 38 mil in prize money alone over his career. He's good but won't be great at this pace. His putting also has been up and down. People say he's a great putter, but while he's certainly a good putter, he only was top 10 SG putting twice, and mostly ending up in 20's and 30's, also couple years middle of the pack. For his game, he certainly needs his putter to be on fire (like most players).

[Cincy_Ken]

The fact that we're 4 pages deep into a thread on a player who's not a top 30 player and has been a captains pick/injury replacement on the most recent national team speaks to his biggest talent of marketing. With respect to analyzing his game he's a good putter but putting doesn't differentiate players nearly as much as ball striking does. He's a solid all around player with no significant weaknesses and no overwhelming strengths. I view his quality as a player as similar to where Lowry and Woodland would have been last season; guys who had enough game to win majors but by no means were players who you were certain were on the verge of winning majors. I think Kuch is a great comp for Fowler; guy had an ATM like career and played on a lot of national teams and almost picked off an Open before Jordan started making bombs from all over the course.

[Krt22]

Indeed...the dude is winning off the course big time, out kicking his coverage even with his golf/marketing success

[bscinstnct]

Rickie life everyday be like,

 

[bubbagump]

While the #1 Amateur, and ROY invite some buzz, I still cant quite recall why exactly he was donned as a next big thing or great hope going forward on the course. He is insanely marketable, and his team and him took advantage of it props, but golf wise the package is really just that of a talented probably decade long top 50 player. Nothing really screams upper tier (maybe putting), but that doesnt mean he cant find himself contending or winning a few here and there. To me hes kind of the opposite of Spieth who took the same pretty average pro toolkit, and over achieved to the tune of his resume then resorted back to the norm. Rickie I think is winning about as much as his ability would dictate.

Of that crew, I think JT was always the one that had next level ability and natural talent in a way Rickie or Spieth didnt quite have.

[Krt22]

Lol..."Just a decade long top 50 player"...directly followed by "Nothing really screams upper tier"

 

Gosh I love the criticism the average golfwrx member has for golfers with infinitely more talent than 99.9% of golfing population. Already top 21 in career earnings at $38M, easily double that in endorsements. But yeah..nothing really screams upper tier LOL

[bubbagump]

Calm down now lol. Being in the top 50 of the world for decade plus and making millions is an amazing accomplishment, one that 99.5% of the world will never experience. I wasn't really knocking Rickie as if hes just a nobody, just more that if you compared him to the elite peers he competes against that others may have more natural ability, that may explain the win gaps etc. Kind of like comparing an Alfred Morris to a Zeke, two very productive top end pro athletes....however one is far more naturally talented and the ceiling because of that is higher.

Hes still a A list player, and likely HOF candidate when all is said and done.

[nsxguy]

"likely HOF candidate when all is said and done"

 

Hmmmmmm, not sure how you get there ?

5 Tour victories in 10 years, 3 more outside the U.S., no majors. 10 more "prime" years if he's like most Tour players.

And his game seems to be getting worse, not better.

HOF would seem to be a long shot unless he gets his act together.

[bubbagump]

Candidate doesnt mean he would get in. I was roughly simplifying that if he goes the next 10 years, and accomplishes what he did in his first 10 that hed have a resume that I think would fit the criteria and his popularity would boost his case.

[nsxguy]

Fair enough but right now it doesn't look likely.

Hope he can get back to where he was.

[lenny171]

by this standard, Charles Howell III is "Upper Tier", cool career earnings #... but 3 wins.... yeah he's "upper tier"

 

"i want to compete and win, Charles howell's career drives me nuts, granted he's made like 40 million but I want to compete and win"- kisner said this and its so true. earnings are great but wins mean more than that

[freeze16172002]

Maybe if rickie didnt have the red carpet rolled out for him with endorsement deals he would have won more

[bubbagump]

To me, CH3 is a pretty decent long term comp for Rickie, cash machines, contends, makes cuts, consistent, and some wins sprinkled in. Rickie has some more wins, is far more marketable and recognizable but if you were to put nameless resumes down, theyd probably end up pretty similar.

[Krt22]

You are right, top 20 in earnings is 4th tier at best.

 

1st Tier-Tiger

2nd Tier -2nd-5th

3rd Tier-5th-15th

4th Tier-15th-30th

5th Tier-Who cares

[adl300]

 

Rickie qualified for 3 Ryder Cup Teams.

Charles never qualified.

Rickie has won 5 pga tournaments.

Charles has won 3 pga tournaments.

Rickie has 3 top 5 finishes in majors in 12 years.

Charles has none in 19 years (ouch). He only has 1 top-10 finish in majors.

To compare these two is a disservice to Rickie.

[bubbagump]

Yep, understood. Its not a flawless comparison but just to me, Rickie could be this generations CH3 albeit a better version. ATM machine, long term consistency, makes a ton of cuts, frequently on the front half of leader boards, and some wins. I think the glaring difference for me is that Rickie should be able to grab a major when all is said and done.

[Slopasaurus]

FYI, Rickie has 8 top 5 finishes in majors, not 3.

He had 4 in one year (2014).

 

[Nard_S]

When expectations were high for him, there was a Saturday at The Open. He was charging up 1st page. Gets to a hole where everyone was fading the ball into right rough...done on purpose. He calls up a draw starting down the middle, over cooks it, goes left where 99% knew it was death, ends up with a triple bogey. Major brain fart. In a nutshell, that is what's has been wrong with Rickie. I root for the guy, but geez Louise, since that, I don't excited about his prospects.

[freeze16172002]

8 top 5 finishes and never won, yeah that's rickie in a nutshell. The way he's playing lately Hunter Mahan might be a better comparison

[gvogel]

He probably bags a major as soon as Jordan Spieth wins one.....

[gvogel]

If Danny Willet can win a major....

Danny Willet had one great year or year and a half. The probability of Danny winning another major must be very low at this point, although it was nice to see him have a good tournament at the Memorial.

There was a player named Bill Rogers who had a great year, 1981. He won 4 times, including a major. He won one more tournament in 1983, and that was it.

To be competitive in majors over a 10 year period requires the most exceptional of talent. I don't believe that any of the players in this conversation, Danny, Rickie, or Bill Rogers have (had) that.

[gvogel]

Rickie has won 5 times on Tour, and twice in Europe. No majors. If he makes the HOF on the basis of that record, you know it's a total popularity contest.

[rafal]

Yes.

 

Yours Truly,

Frederic Steven C.

PS

I still needed to luck into a jacket FWIW.

[nsxguy]

 

Thank you rafal. 15 victories including 1 Masters and 2 Player's. So I qualify on BOTH counts.

And ALL victories include a certain amount of playing "luck".

 

Yours truly,

"Boom Boom"

Male Competitor

A player must have a cumulative total of 15 or more official victories on any of the original members of the International Federation of PGA Tours (PGA TOUR, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour and PGA of Australasia) OR at least two victories among the following events: The Masters, THE PLAYERS Championship, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship.

[rafal]

No problemo, we'll add a clause that 5 top 5's in a major = a major win and it's all going to be alright. These rules are tailor made to get in those who are supposed to get in.

[Muskiegolfer17]

I'd love for Rickie to win a major, but I'll believe it when I see it.