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Rickie Fowler withdraws from WM Phoenix Open

Rickie Fowler withdraws from WM Phoenix Open

Published:

By: Zach Thompson

Fan favorite Rickie Fowler made a loud statement on Friday in Round 1 with an all-camo outfit, but it was his golf game that was hidden, as he struggled to a three-over 74. Part of the reason for his rough round may have been that he was fighting an illness, which unfortunately forced him to withdraw from the WM Phoenix Open before Round 2.

Before the tournament, Rickie had +12000 odds to win the WM Phoenix Open on the DraftKings Sportsbook, and he came in with some solid sleeper buzz. He was owned in 12.7% of entries in DraftKings $1M People’s Open Special.

One of the reasons that he was popular was that he has a strong course history at TPC Scottsdale, where he has made 11-of-16 cuts in his career with five top-five finishes including his win back in 2019.

Fowler made the cut in his two previous events in 2025, finishing T21 at The American Express and T53 at the AT&T Pebble Beach, where he was playing in the Signature Event on a Sponsor’s Exemption. He was also included in the field on a Sponsor’s Exemption to next week’s Genesis Invitational. He’ll take the rest of this week to rest up and recover before trying to return for that event, which was relocated to Torrey Pines from its usual spot at Riviera Country Club.

Zach has been part of the DraftKings team since 2017 and covers baseball, basketball, golf, football and any other sport that offers DFS fun. He has been playing fantasy sports since box scores were only available in the newspaper the following day. Even though he grew up almost 8,000 miles away in Guam, he is a diehard Boston sports fan but will take a fantasy value play wherever he can get it, even if it’s from the Yankees.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.