Six-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Fowler was not at his best during the opening rounds of the Truist Championship before a second-round rebound moved him back into contention heading into the weekend.

During media interaction at Quail Hollow Club on Friday, Fowler noted that he was suffering from an infection, which did not allow him to play his finest golf, per a YouTube video shared via TenGolf.

“I was battling a bit of a sinus infection early in the week. Tuesday night, Wednesday night, probably 102, 103, yeah, I was a little loopy and didn't quite feel like my head was in the right spot on my body.”

Fowler was clearly not on his A game during Round 1, shooting 36 over the first nine holes, finishing one over par. The back nine saw him worsen, shooting two over par, ending on a 74, three over the course par.

"Tried to fight through yesterday the best I could. Yeah, there were times I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to hit the hole from a few feet, so it was nice to be back in a better spot physically today,” added the 37-year-old.

Round 2 saw Fowler regain his momentum, shooting four birdies on the front nine. His back-nine score reflected 5 birdies, with one bogey on hole 13, ending the round with 63, eight under par.

Rickie Fowler has recorded three top-10 finishes during the 2026 PGA Tour season and entered the week ranked 30th in the FedEx Cup standings with 654 points. 

“There's been a lot of good stuff. Obviously, going back looking at last year and last summer and kind of building off of that, to be in a spot where the body feels better than it did last year,” said the 2015 The Players Championship winner.

His recent stretch included top-10 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, and Cadillac Championship before moving into contention at the Truist Championship. 

While he regained his form in Round 2, Fowler was glad that the illness was now behind him.

Rickie Fowler relieved that his daughters avoided illness during the Truist Championship

Fowler later reflected on dealing with the illness while trying to stay in contention at Quail Hollow Club.

“Luckily, both girls are all good. So I took this one for the team,” said the father of two.

Rickie Fowler and his wife, Allison Stokke Fowler, are parents to two daughters, Maya Fowler, born in November 2021, and Nellie Fowler, born in August 2024. 

Fowler also added that the illness may have been linked to fatigue from the previous week’s travel and conditions, but he was relieved his recovery allowed him to stay in the hunt for the weekend.

Do you think Rickie Fowler can carry this momentum into the weekend at Quail Hollow? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Surjo Ray