AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rickie Fowler is 29 years old now. The hair is shorter; the golf hat has shrunk; the wardrobe has lost its flamboyance.
After he shot a dazzling 65 in the third round of the Masters on Saturday, which moved him within reach of the leader, Patrick Reed, Fowler spoke in a low, restrained monotone. The gleaming smile was muted.
It wasn’t disinterest, but most likely a practiced detachment.
Fowler’s first major championship victory was perhaps no more than 24 hours and 18 holes away. In past years, his hot pursuit of such a career-defining achievement had led to disappointment.