Rickie Fowler alternate for 2022 U.S. Open

Update June 16 3:10 p.m. The last of the tee times has played away at Brookline, and Rickie Fowler did not make the field.

Update June 15 4:10 p.m. A previous version of this said Fowler was the first alternate, but it appears he is currently the second alternate in the field. All 156 qualifiers are still in the event as of now.

Rickie Fowler has a path to potentially playing in the event starting Thursday from The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. It’s just one that’s completely out of his control.

As an alternate for the major, he’ll have to sit back and wait until Thursday morning to see if he’ll be allowed in the field. One of the 156 players scheduled to tee off will need to withdraw from the event to give the 33-year-old a chance to play.

Fowler was forced to try and make the field through qualifying but came up one stroke short after burning the edge on a six-foot putt that would have put him in a playoff for eligibility. Instead, he ended up beating two other players over four holes for the alternate spot the following morning.

Fowler currently sits 113th in FedEx Cup points and 146th in the Official World Golf Rankings. He’s been a potential target to join the LIV Tour and has been open that he’s talked to the breakaway circuit about playing for big bucks there instead of remaining a member of the PGA TOUR. He’s won nine times worldwide in his career, including five on the PGA TOUR, but has finished second at a major three times without a victory.

This might be Fowler’s last major as a member of the PGA TOUR, and he isn’t qualified for participation in any majors going forward. If he fails to make the field at Brookline, it’s possible we might have seen the last of the former Oklahoma State Cowboy in the biggest events for quite awhile.