After a three-way play-off on Sunday, Rickie Fowler won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, earning his first PGA Tour victory in four years.
After 72 holes, the American, aged 34, tied for third place with Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin at 24 under. Mortgage finally prevailed over them, making a birdie putt at the opening hole of the play-off while Hadwin and Morikawa were unable to equal his three.
Before regaining his form this season with nine top-20 results in his last 10 events, Fowler, who won the 2017 Players Championship, dropped to 185th in the global rankings the previous year.
Before finishing tied for fifth in the US Open in June, he shared the lead going into the final round. With a score of 20 under par heading into the final round in Detroit, Fowler was in the lead once more as he chased his first victory since the 2019 Phoenix Open.
Morikawa, 26, and Hadwin, 35, both challenged the 2018 Masters runner-up until the very end, with the latter carding an eight-under 64. Despite starting the day four strokes and three strokes behind Hadwin and Fowler, Morikawa managed to catch up by making birdies on seven of his opening 14 holes.
Fowler needed a birdie at the 18th to secure a place in the playoffs since Hadwin was also in contention. He fulfilled his promise, and as the play-off got underway, Fowler recovered from a wandering right-swinging drive at the same hole. A fantastic shot out of the rough was followed by a flawless putt to record another birdie and secure the win.
After three rounds, Aaron Rai, 28, of England, was in contention, but after shooting 71 in the fourth, he tied for ninth place on 18 under.
