Rickie Fowler, the world number 27 golfer, is also a fan of motocross! Before becoming a professional golfer, the 35-year-old avidly enjoyed motocross, claiming it influenced his golf game too. This love for the sport came from his father, who drove dirt bikes too.
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Even in his teenage years, he was thinking about enjoying this sport further. However, a tragic accident changed the trajectory of his future, signaling an end to his motor sports era. But this also meant that the golf community got Rickie Fowler, one of the highest-regarded professional golfers in the world.
Rickie Fowler on his tragic motocross accident
Recently the American golfer sat down with Morgan Hoffmann & Jeg Coughlin III for the I Can Fly podcast. During the podcast, Fowler’s love for motocross came up. While the 35-year-old agreed he loved the sport growing up, golf was always his focus. But his accident as a teenager made him completely give up motocross.
Recounting the incident, the PGA Tour player said the tragedy occurred when he was a freshman in high school. He was out in the deserts of California at a little track set up by a camp. The golfer believes it wasn’t his fault that the accident occurred, as there was a blind jump and someone was coming the other way with a kid in front of their bike.
Furthermore, Rickie Fowler revealed he was not going that fast – driving at the normal motocross speed of 110 mph. However, midflight, he noticed a bike coming the other way with a kid and instinctively tried to save them.
He said, “Luckily they were all good. I mean you just see a kid there – it’s no thinking, it’s reacting and yeah I broke my foot in three spots, blew up my left knee.” The American golfer revealed his foot survived any structural damage from the accident.
The PGA Tour pro made a decision post-accident
While the foot did not survive any structural damage, it took Fowler almost two months to heal. This acted as a wake-up call for the golfer. He had an internal conversation with himself, deciding to give up motocross if he wanted to take golf seriously.
USA Today via Reuters
Jun 15, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Rickie Fowler on the 7th green during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Los Angeles Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
The accident opened his eyes, that sometimes he could get hurt by mistakes from others. He said, “It was just that time where it was like – Okay if I want to take golf seriously and want to, you know, go somewhere like Oklahoma State and play professionally, I can’t really be taking this kind of risk.”
This decision led him to dive into his golfing career. And now he has achieved new heights in the sport. Fans can watch Rickie Fowler next at the Cognizant Classic which is to be played from February 26–March 3 at the PGA National Resort’s Champion Course.
