Rickie Fowler insisted his confidence is continuing to build following a strong start to the new season.
The 34-year-old drifted to as low as 173rd in the Official World Golf Rankings in August 2022 following a stretch of mediocre form.
However, a T-2 finish at the recent ZOZO Championship combined with three more top 20 finishes have propelled the American back to 70th in the OWGR.
The five-time PGA Tour winner is playing at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational where he opened with a four-under 68 to sit tied fifth after round one.
Speaking after his round at Bay Hill, Fowler said of his confidence: “It’s good, especially a day like today where I wasn’t swinging great.
“I wasn’t driving it well and being able to just kind of get it around and accept what I had, didn’t try and force anything.
“It’s also nice to, on top of that, make some putts, which is something that held me back the last few years.
“So, yeah, just confidence continues to build. Not always going to hit it perfect, but I think you get a lot more out of days when you’re not hitting it well like today and shooting 4-under.
“I would much rather see getting a lot out of rounds versus go stripe it and feel like you left so many out there.”
Fowler tees off in round two at 4.49pm local UAE time alongside England’s Justin Rose and America’s Patrick Cantlay.
