Rickie Fowler Reveals Playoff Goal After Solid Start at 3M Open

Rickie Fowler entered the 3M Open ranked 63rd in the FedEx Cup rankings, which puts him on track to achieve two key goals: maintaining his PGA Tour card for 2026 and qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs.

However, Fowler has much bigger aspirations.

At the end of the first round of the 3M Open, the six-time PGA Tour winner revealed that his plans for the current season go far beyond the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first event of the postseason.

“At the end of the day, good golf solves a lot of things,” he said, according to the transcripts of his post-round interview. “Luckily I’ve been starting to play a little bit better these last few months and had some decent finishes. Good solid start today.

“But yeah, looking forward to play well this week and go into next week and put ourselves in a good position. Ultimately I think initial goal is to make it to BMW (Championship) and be inside the top-50, but we’ll take it day by day for now.”

Finishing in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup is a significant achievement, as it would qualify Fowler for all of next season’s signature events.

But who’s counting the points?

“Well, I know where I am coming in this week,” Fowler said, according to the transcripts. “I know a nice finish or a win would do a lot of good things. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily calculating, or I don’t know if I finish a certain spot where I’ll move to. Like I said, good golf solves a lot of things.”

Fowler carded six birdies at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn., to finish the first 18 holes tied for 11th with a bogey-free 6-under. The 36-year-old is seeking his fourth top-20 finish since the start of June, with just one missed cut in that same period.

“Good solid day. A lot of good swings, a couple loose ones, but I’m definitely happy about it,” Fowler said, according to the transcripts. “Obviously playing fairly easy out there with the soft conditions…Yeah, good solid, fairly simple day for me and a nice way to start the week.”

Fowler has only one top-10 finish so far this season (T7 at the Memorial Tournament). However, he has earned six other top-25 finishes in his 17 tournament appearances.

Fowler is just 137.5 points outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup rankings, so strong finishes at the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship next week could push him into that elite group.

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