For the first time since Patrick Cantlay edged out Bryson DeChambeau in a 2021 playoff, the PGA Tour is returning to Caves Valley Golf Club. This year, however, all eyes are on Rickie Fowler, who’s making headlines even before the first tee shot. Fresh off a hard-earned T6 finish at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Fowler is riding a renewed wave of form. And as he eyes East Lake, it’s not just his talent that makes him a contender.

In a season defined by narrow margins and gritty progress, Fowler offered a candid, introspective reflection on the humbling nature of golf — a truth that has both tested him and driven his comeback. During the pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday, when asked about his current run, the 36-year-old made it clear that it’s not a run just yet.

“Yeah, well, I appreciate you calling it a run because I haven’t even considered it a run yet. I’m kind of just getting going. It’s been nice to have some good finishes and start to at least head the right direction, and kind of with the timing in the season,” he said. Since his missed cut at the Rocket Classic, Fowler has had some decent finishes, including a tied 14th finish at the 2025 Open.

Fowler was candid about the toll his recent struggles have taken —“But yeah, going through plenty of tough years now, if you look over the last five, six years, I’ve had plenty of highs and I’ve seen the lows,” he acknowledged. Since his last victory at the 2023 Rocket Classic, Fowler has had only four top-10 finishes.

He further continued that “The tough times definitely make you appreciate when you are playing well and when golf can seem easy, yeah, you appreciate those because you know they’re not going to last forever, so take advantage of those when you can,”  Over the course of his career, Rickie’s position in the Official World Golf Ranking has traced a dramatic arc; from reaching a career-best of 4th in the world in 2016 to plummeting outside the top 150 in 2022.

Recent seasons have shown signs of recovery, with Fowler climbing back into relevance following his 2023 Rocket Classic win. As of August 13, 2025, OWGR data places him at 87th in the world, powered by steady performances this season, such as a T14 at The Open, a T7 at The Memorial Tournament, and, most recently, a T6 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship that helped him jump from 104th to 87th in just one week. This upward momentum reflects both his resilience through extended slumps and his determination to regain a foothold among the game’s elite.

But perhaps the most revealing moment of his press conference came when he spoke of grinding through it all. “But I think that’s part of why some of us out here are — all the guys out here for the most part, I don’t know why we love it so much, but it’s the grind of it. You can never perfect it. There’s been a few guys that have gotten close, but I feel like it always humbles you and kind of brings you back to reality, maybe when you least expect it,” the former No. 1-ranked amateur golfer continued. His humbling words were delivered with the clarity of someone who has felt both sides of the cut line, and it reflected how his ascent back into the playoffs has been anything but straightforward.

He barely squeaked into the FedEx Cup Playoffs, finishing the regular season in 64th place—just six spots inside the top-70 cutoff. Of the 665 points he amassed, a striking 319 (48%) were earned via six sponsor exemptions into the PGA Tour’s signature events. Those invitations, often scrutinized for being discretionary, may have been Fowler’s lifeline. After his strong showing in Memphis, he now sits at 48th in the FedEx Cup standings. For a player whose 2025 season now hinges on a razor-thin margin shaped by sponsor invites and a late-season surge, it’s a humbling truth that defines his comeback story. And as the pressure amps up, Rickie Fowler has a lot at stake.

The Stakes for Rickie Fowler This Week

This week at the BMW Championship in Maryland carries enormous implications for Rickie Fowler—not just for his playoff hopes, but for the trajectory of his 2026 season. After his strong showing in Memphis, he now sits at 48th in the FedEx Cup standings, which has given him access to next season’s signature events. He narrowly made it within the top 50, and this cutoff is a critical benchmark on the PGA Tour, as playing in the signature events offers a safety net and an elevated status. With only 30 players advancing to next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake, Rickie Fowler can’t afford a misstep. A missed cut or poor finish at Caves Valley could knock him back outside the bubble, potentially erasing the progress he fought so hard to secure.

For Fowler, who entered the playoffs ranked 64th and needed every bit of his T-6 finish in Memphis to move up, the stakes couldn’t be clearer. Much of his season has been built on narrow margins, and Rickie Fowler will need a solo 13th finish this week if he wants to see himself contending at East Lake next week. Now, with a spot in the top 30 within his grasp, this week offers a rare opportunity to fully capitalize on those chances. It’s a pivotal moment for a player who has spent the last few years clawing his way back from the brink, and one solid performance away from locking in not just a trip to East Lake, but a guaranteed place among the game’s elite next season.