Veteran golfer splits with longtime caddie

When Rickie Fowler teed it up on Thursday for the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, he did so with a notable change. Ever since Rickie Fowler turned pro, his caddie had been Joe Skovron. That pairing, though, has broken up.

Todd Lewis of Golf Channel reported the news and quoted Fowler as saying, “We have been a team and will always be a team. Friendship comes first.”

It’s always notable when something like this happens, particularly with a duo that has been together for more than a decade. That said, looking at where Fowler’s game has gone in recent years, it’s easy to understand why a change occurred.

Fowler once got his world ranking as high as No. 4. He has five career PGA Tour wins, with The Players Championship in 2015 being the most prominent. Fowler has also notched two wins on the European Tour, another on the OneAsia Tour, and has played on four Ryder Cup and three Presidents Cup teams.

While he’s never won a major, Fowler has 12 top-10 finishes. In 2014, he had maybe the greatest major season a player has ever had without winning won, finishing tied for fifth or better at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and British Open.

Recently, though, it’s been a struggle. Fowler hasn’t won since February 2019. He’s also only played in three of the eight majors over the last two seasons. Heading into the FedEx St. Jude Championship, he was at No. 167 in the world. So, it’s easy to see why he was looking for a change.

At least in the short term, the move worked out for Fowler. Fowler fired a five-under 65 during the first round in Memphis, with Ben Schomin on the bag.

[Todd Lewis on Twitter]