FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — It is golf’s version of a playoff beard, the wispy shadow of a mustache above Rickie Fowler’s upper lip.
But after one round at the Barclays tournament, the new facial bristles seem to be helping Fowler gain some momentum.
It is not only the FedEx Cup that Fowler, the No. 8 player in the world, is chasing. He is not shying away from declaring that a spot on this year’s Ryder Cup team is his focus.
“One hundred percent, all of it,” Fowler said after Thursday’s four-under-par 67 at Bethpage Black, a score that put him in a tie for third place, one stroke behind Patrick Reed and Martin Laird.