Rickie Fowler part ways with his caddie and childhood friend after 13 years… but puts it down to a ‘team decision’ having just BARELY made FedEx Cup playoffs
- Fowler said this decision doesn’t mean ‘it’s the end of the road’ for the pair
- This comes after Fowler barely qualified for the FedEx Cup playoffs first round
- Fowler has slid down to no. 167 in the Official World Golf Ranking this season
Rickie Fowler is moving on from the only caddie he’s ever known, after 13 years of teamwork in his PGA Tour career.
Fowler is parting ways with Joe Skovron, a childhood friend, after Fowler narrowly avoided missing the FedEx Cup playoffs for the second straight year, and he will proceed with a new caddie.
‘It was a team decision,’ Fowler said. ‘Decided to go different ways. It could be the best option currently.
‘By no means does this mean it’s the end of the road. He’s like a big brother to me.’
Rickie Fowler (right) has made the choice to move on from caddie Joe Skovron (left)
Skovron has caddied for other golfers, like Patrick Cantlay in last year’s St. Jude Invitational
| Season | Pre-playoff rank | Eliminted in | Wins/Top-10s | Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015* | 15 | Final round | Won Deutsche Bank, 1 top-10 | 4 |
| 2016* | 28 | 3rd round | 1 top-10 | 31 |
| 2017* | 5 | Final round | 1 top-10 | 7 |
| 2018* | 17 | Final round | 2 top-10s | T17 |
| 2019 | 13 | Final round | 0 | T19 |
| 2020 | 88 | 1st round | 0 | 94 |
| 2021 | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play |
Fowler hasn’t won since the 2019 Phoenix Open and his slide in the world ranking has taken him all the way to No. 167.
He missed the cut at the Wyndham Championship and only finished at No. 125 when a couple of players had a tough final round, and because of nine LIV Golf players who didn’t count in the standings.
He will use Cobra-Puma employee Ben Schomin, who previously filled in for Bryson DeChambeau, at the FedEx St. Jude Championship this week.
‘It is different,’ Fowler said. ‘In 13 years, there’s been only one other week, my rookie year, when I had someone else on the bag.
‘One of our assistants from Oklahoma State, Donnie Darr, he caddied for me at the Memorial. Outside of that, Joe has been my guy.’
Fowler and Skovron grew up together northeast of San Diego in Temecula. Fowler says he has known him since they were toddlers.
‘It’s much more than a business thing for me,’ Fowler said. ‘Like I said, he’s like a big brother, and we’ve always been a team; just thought it was potentially the best option for right now.’
Fowler and Skovron mutually decided to part ways
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