Despite Having the Upper PGA Tour Hand, Rickie Fowler Cannot Ignore the ‘Rockstar’ of the 2023 Zozo Championship
The Zozo Championship is close to Rickie Fowler’s heart for two reasons. One is due to his strong ties to Japan through his grandfather. He shared a deep emotional bond with his grandad of Japanese origin and even tattooed his surname ‘Tanaka’ in his memory.
The second reason is due to his success in last year’s Zozo Championship, which gave him much-needed momentum to come back into the season. He was in the middle of a drought at that time, and a shared second position in the tournament gave him a much-needed hike. Now, coming back to Zozo this year, Rickie Fowler has extended his admiration for a fellow competitor.
Japanese pro Hideki Matsuyama rose up from the ranks of the Japan Tour to make his mark on the mainstream PGA Tour. He holds 17 professional wins, including 8 PGA Tour wins. His most notable moment was winning the famed Masters Tournament in 2021. He went neck-to-neck with Will Zalatoris for the title and bagged it over a one-stroke lead.
Speaking of the star Japanese golfer’s popularity in the Eastern country, Rickie Fowler said, “Hideki’s a Rockstar over here.” He openly expressed his admiration for him and shared his excitement about playing with him at the Zozo Championship this year
“He’s someone I admire as a person, as a player. It will be exciting to see the show of Hideki in Japan.” Fowler exclaimed. This might come as a confidence boost for Matsuyama since he doesn’t really enter the tournament with a lot of momentum.
