With his fandom, Rickie Fowler could be described as a modern-day Arnold Palmer. Maybe the reason why the Californian playing at Bay Hill to honor The King has become a tradition for him. However, when he doesn’t play, as he did in 2016 to prepare for the Masters, and made sure to break the news in person, it was like breaking up with a girlfriend, as he put it.

Years later, the same thing happened when, in 2025, Fowler’s request for a sponsor exemption to the tournament was denied. Did it make him sour? Not exactly. But it did break his heart a little. So, when he returned to Orlando this time, earning his way fair and square, he confessed what missing it last year felt like.

“It gave me a little motivation,” Fowler told the reporters. “Yeah, it was a bummer not to be here, but sponsor invites are sponsor invites. There’s no guarantee, and it’s up to the tournament and the people involved who they want to give those to.

“So it’s a lot easier when you go out and earn it. I did a good job of that last year through the summer to get myself back inside the top 50, so I didn’t have to ask for favors or ask for invites. So a little more stress-free this year.”

Last year, Fowler had dropped to No. 95 in the world and sat at No. 105 in the FedEx Cup. So, when it came to deciding on accepting his exemption request, Sam Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer, who is a member of the sponsor exemption committee, was clear:

“He’s been one of the best spokespersons on behalf of my grandfather and carrying on that legacy, nobody does it better than Rickie Fowler,” Saunders said. “Rickie had gotten a couple of opportunities for exemptions in the elevated events already, and that was something that had to be taken into consideration. You want other players to get opportunities.”

Fowler did indeed get exemptions for the other two signature events already for which he also faced a lot of criticism. Apart from him, Jordan Spieth and Gary Woodland also missed the exemption in 2025. For Fowler, though, things changed this season.

The six-time PGA Tour champion ended the FedEx Cup 2025 season in 32nd position. That was enough for him to secure a place in the Signature events for 2026. That meant Fowler didn’t have to rely on exemptions from tournament sponsors to get into the $20 million tournaments, confirming that there was no bad blood between himself and the Arnold Palmer family for the snub.

“It was special to have the relationship that I did with him and to be in a position now where we continue to do stuff to help out the foundation and do our little part to help continue on that legacy,” Fowler said of his friendship with Palmer.

However, this is not where Fowler’s dreams end. He, in fact, is focused on bigger goals at the moment.

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Rickie Fowler’s priorities are to qualify for bigger events

He may have made it into the Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026 field. However, that’s not where Rickie Fowler’s dreams end. He wants to secure a ticket to Augusta National as well. And that might be a challenging dream to overcome in such a short span. Let’s break down how he can make it to the top 50 and book his ticket to Augusta.

Fowler currently sits with a No. 67 OWGR rank. To reach the top 50 this week, Fowler will need a solo 5th finish or better. With that calculation, he needs 17.18402 points across the next three events to reach No. 50 on this week’s OWGR. Three straight Top 15s can also help him achieve the goal.

As things stand after approximately half a day’s play, Fowler is at T6 after he completed his round. He is in a great position to finish inside the top 5. His previous best in the tournament is a T3 way back in 2013. If he can match that this weekend, then the 37-year-old will confirm his place in the 2026 Masters Tournament without requiring a special invitation.