Rickie Fowler among several big names to miss Shriners cut

What did Rickie Fowler do during his nearly two-month break from competitive golf? He began a six-week clean-eating program.

“It was a good way to clean out,” Fowler told Golfweek Magazine earlier this week ahead of his season debut in Las Vegas. “I’m fresh and ready to go.”

Fowler’s return to action, though, didn’t go quite as planned. After missing out on the FedExCup Playoffs last season, Fowler missed the cut by a shot Friday at the Shriners Children’s Open, his first start since the Wyndham Championship in August, when he also failed to make the weekend.

Fowler did rally, birdieing each of his final three holes to card a second-round, 5-under 66, but he ultimately fell just shy of sticking around for two more days at TPC Summerlin. He was joined at 4 under by several other notable names, including Webb Simpson, Maverick McNealy, Keith Mitchell, Sahith Theegala, Rasmus Hojgaard, Jason Kokrak, Garrick Higgo and Cameron Young.

Paul Casey (3 under), Will Zalatoris (2 under), Harris English (2 under), Kevin Kisner (2 under), Scottie Scheffler (1 under), Ian Poulter (1 over) and Patrick Reed (4 over) also missed the cut.

Full-field scores from the Shriners Children’s Open

Fowler entered this week ranked No. 125 in the world rankings. He has just one top-10 finish in the past 628 days, a T-8 at the PGA Championship this past May.

Per Golfweek, Fowler and his wife, Allison, are expecting their first child, a girl, on Nov. 30. He will play each of the next two weeks on sponsor exemptions, at the CJ Cup, also in Vegas, and the Zozo Championship in Japan.