FORT WORTH, Texas — Rickie Fowler’s final approach during his second round at Colonial Country Club was perhaps his most difficult. Fowler pulled his drive a little left on the par-4 No. 9, and his ball came to rest on the downslope of a bunker, meaning he was forced to take a swing with the ball well below his feet. And with a hanging tree on the left and a pond on the front right portion of the green, after a hot start on the front nine and a cool, but controlled finish after the turn, Fowler wiggled his heels in the sand and shaped a great shot that escaped the hazard, averted the branches, and found the back of the green.
After he hit the shot, there was a smattering of applause, likely because the healthy gallery following the six-time PGA Tour winner was shielded from just how difficult his stance had been. However, Fowler looked back and thanked a few fans who were trailing behind him.
“Every once in a while, you’re going to have a shot where there’s a bit of risk involved. I turned around to the crowd because two of my good friends were back there, Trent and Tyler Leon, who both played at Oklahoma State. They’re Fort Worth guys. I had a little support, but they knew what kind of shot it was,” Fowler said. “I think they were expecting me to potentially lay up because it wasn’t the kind of lie you would want in a fairway bunker. The ball was a foot below my feet, and I was just praying for good contact.”…