Rickie Fowler has already had an incredibly good golf career, but for one reason or another, a major championship has always eluded him.
He has second-place finishes in every major except for the PGA Championship, where his best finish is third. He's hoping to rectify that at the 2023 U.S. Open.
Fowler made a major change last season, firing his caddie of 13 years, Joe Skovron. Skovron had been with Fowler for much of his PGA Tour career, including all of his best major finishes.
Fowler shot a 62 in the first round of the U.S. Open with new caddie Ricky Romano on the bag, a move that has provided solid early returns for the 34-year-old native of Murrieta, Calif. Romano, who has been with several professionals over the years, shares a hometown with Fowler, and he is a very good golfer himself.
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Why did Rickie Fowler fire Joe Skovron?
Despite Fowler working with Skovron for 13 years, he had stagnated. Three of his four best finishes came in 2014, with a recent strong Masters showing in 2018.
Fowler had just three top-10 finishes in majors since 2018, only adding to the frustration.
"It was a team decision," Fowler told the Associated Press when he and Skovron parted ways, according to Golf Monthly. "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."
Fowler also parted ways with his swing coach.
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Who is Ricky Romano?
Romano actually wasn't the first caddie Fowler worked with after parting ways with Skovron. Ben Schomin came on as an interim before Fowler settled on Romano.
Romano played golf at the University of Houston and has been in the ear of several professionals. He has worked with Jason Kokrak, Aaron Wise, and Nate Lashley, among others.
Romano also played professionally himself before pivoting to caddying full-time.
"I’ve played the game of golf since I was 3 years old," Romano told the Caddie Network, per Golf Monthly. "I’ve played at every level including six years professionally. I currently carry a plus-3 handicap. I feel the strongest part of myself as a caddie is reading greens, decision-making and course management."