Rickie Fowler during the opening round of The 2024 Sentry. | Photo by Ben Jared/PGA Tour
Rickie Fowler donned a clean outfit during the first round of The Sentry, as some of his sponsor logos were notably absent.
During the opening round of The Sentry, the first competitive round of the 2024 PGA Tour season, Rickie Fowler carded an eventful 3-under 70.
He had eight birdies but also dropped shots on four different holes. That includes a double-bogey at the par-4 3rd.
Alas, Fowler now sits six shots behind Sahith Theegala, who blitzed the back nine at Kapalua en route to a 9-under 64.
And yet, one of the big talking points from Thursday’s round was Fowler’s simple attire instead of his rollercoaster round.
Notably absent from his white Cobra shirt were the Farmers Insurance and Rocket Mortgage logos, two of Fowler’s longtime sponsors.
Of course, Fowler won the Rocket Mortgage Classic last year in Detroit, which snapped a four-year victory drought. He has played in this event year since its inception in 2019.
He also has played in each iteration of the Farmers Insurance Open—held every January at Torrey Pines—since 2010. Interestingly, his best finish at this event came in his debut, as he tied for fifth.
Fowler finished in a tie for 11th at the Farmers Insurance Open last year.
Nevertheless, his plain shirt raised numerous eyebrows among golf fans:
I wonder if thats a bigger sign of things to come for the PGA Tour. Just like Wells Fargo.. not good
— James Davidson (@JDdavidson12) January 5, 2024
Crazy to think those sponsors dropped him after he had his best season in probably a decade in 2023
— Oregon Coastie (@CoastieOregon) January 4, 2024
There is also speculation about Fowler skipping the Farmers Insurance Open this year, per @RickieLegion, an account on X that exclusively tracks Fowler:
The question everyone’s been asking.
Rickie has not had Rocket Mortgage or Farmers Insurance on his shirt like he usually does.
Though nothing has been confirmed, he will not be teeing it up at the Farmers this year… almost confirming a split.
No official word from…
— RICKIELEGION (@RickieLegion) January 5, 2024
That would signal an end to Fowler’s endorsement deal with Farmers Insurance.
But what also caught everyone’s eye during Fowler’s opening round was the hat that he donned.
The cap, which includes designs of various Hawaiian flowers and other tropical plants, features a big ‘L’ on the front. A local Maui artist helped design it.
And no, the ‘L’ does not stand for LIV Golf, which some people believed.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Rickie Fowler during the opening round of The 2024 Sentry.
Instead, it stands for Lahania, the Maui town devastated by wildfires in August. Over 100 people perished, while thousands saw their homes and livelihoods destroyed.
A big part of this week’s tournament at Kapalua is creating awareness for the communities affected while uplifting the island with a distraction through golf.
Puma has made these hats available for purchase, with all proceeds going to the recovery of Lahania.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
