A new man will become Scottish Open champion this Sunday but they will do well to secure as popular a win as Rickie Fowler did in 2015. Fowler’s hot streak in the mid-2010s is the stuff of modern golfing legend. He finished top five or better in every major in 2014 before winning a host of big tournaments, including The Players, over the following three years.
But it’s his 2015 Scottish Open success around the links of Gullane that is perhaps his most endearing. The historic Gullane Golf Club, nestled in the centre of Scotland’s fabled Golf Coast and next door to Muirfield, has held the Scottish Open twice. Welcoming a glittering field in 2015, Fowler arrived at the beautiful East Lothian track hot off the back of his stunning play-off win at TPC Sawgrass.
The American enjoyed an impressive opening three days at Gullane but the job wasn’t done heading into Sunday’s final round. After a steady start, Fowler then pushed his tee shot on the difficult 14th into one of Gullane’s treacherous bunkers, made bogey and had seemingly let his trophy chances slip. But, just like his blistering finish to win The Players a few weeks prior, Fowler rallied and birdied three of his last four holes to leapfrog his rivals and take the title in brilliant style.
It solidified his status as a global star , earned him a legion of new fans in Scotland and almost convinced him into a transatlantic relocation to the small village of Gullane. Alasdair Good, Head PGA Professional at Gullane G.
