20-year-old rising star Rickie Fowler is set to play in the Shark Shootout hosted by Greg Norman at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, from December 9-13.

After kicking off his professional career with two top-10 finishes in three starts, Rickie will be the youngest player in Shootout history to compete. He’s teamed up with PGA Tour veteran Chris DiMarco in the 24-player field (12 teams).  Rickie expressed his enthusiasm for the event:

I am obviously thrilled to be playing in The Shark Shootout. Greg Norman is one of the most dynamic players in our game’s history and it is very exciting to be invited to play in an event that he hosts. In addition, I have learned we will be helping raise awareness and funds for CureSearch. It will be a pleasure for me to assist this organization and the tournament as they both seek ways to benefit the lives of children not as fortunate as me.

The tournament will feature a modified alternate shot format during the first round, best ball on Saturday and concludes with a scramble on Sunday. Other bold-faced names competing include Fred Couples, Kenny Perry, Ian Poulter, Zach Johnson, Brian Gay, Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker.

We can’t wait to see Rickie grind it out and vie for the title!

[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

PUMA athlete Rickie Fowler is showing he can play with the big boys. He fired a stellar 7-under 64 in the second round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open for a two-day total 11-under. This is his first PGA Tour event as a professional.

The talented 20-year-old got off to a fast start, racking up 5 birdies and an eagle on his first nine. After his round he told the Golf Channel:

I got out to a little better start on the back nine, my first nine, and turned at 30, which helped out quite a bit. From there, I had to scrape around a bit…I try not to think about expectations. I just go out on the course and do my thing and it’s been working out the past two days and hopefully I’ll have a good weekend.

Going into the final 36 holes, he’s T5. Looking good, Rickie (in those white pants, too). We’ll be rooting for you.

[Photo by Marc Feldman/Getty Images]

In the upcoming months, Rickie will be giving us a behind-the-scenes look into his life on the road — both on and off the course — as a professional golfer. Stay tuned!

Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images

Congratulations to PUMA athlete Anna Nordqvist for her brilliant play at the LET Madrid Ladies Masters tournament!

Anna shot a three-day total of 16-under. Her stellar final round 10-under 63 (her career low round) got her into a playoff with Azahara Munoz. Unfortunately, in the first extra hole, Munoz made an eagle for the win. Still, a great performance by Anna. Her finish moves her to 12th in the World Golf Rankings.

The 22-year-old Swede is a rookie on the LPGA and has made 12 cuts in as many starts. She’s placed in the top 10 three times, and only six months into the season she won a major, the LPGA Championship. Not too shabby! In August she made her debut as a member of the European Solheim Cup Team — which she says is the highlight of her fantastic season — her record was 2-2-0.

Go HERE to check out a recent interview the LET did with Anna.

PUMA announced at the 2009 Soboba Classic that twenty-year-old golfer Rickie Fowler, who just turned professional, has joined the sportlifestyle brand’s roster of world-class athletes. To celebrate, PUMA welcomed Fowler to the family by surprising him with a customized, motocross-inspired golf cart.

The video gives a behind-the-scenes look with Fowler. He chats about why he started playing golf and chose PUMA. We also see him take his first ride on the cart!

Rickie Fowler and his newly received custom PUMA golf cart, given to him to welcome him to PUMA’s roster of athletes

It’s official — 20-year-old pro Fowler has signed with PUMA to wear our stylin’ apparel, headwear and footwear with Smart Quill technology. He brings a fun, refreshing energy to the golfing world. Rickie’s style on and off the course fits the brand to a tee — “Look Better, Feel Better, Play Better.” And the kid’s got it all.

Before turning pro recently, Rickie was the top-ranked amateur and two-time member of the Walker Cup team. He made his professional debut earlier in the month at the Albertsons Boise Open in Idaho. This week he’s playing at the Soboba Classic Tournament, where PUMA welcomed him to the family and celebrated by surprising him with a tricked-out, motocross-inspired golf cart. It features a roll cage, off-road tires, a push bar and a state-of-the-art stereo system.

Rickie Fowler and Robert Philion, Global Business Unit Manager, PUMA Golf, with Rickie’s custom golf cart, gifted to him to welcome him to PUMA’s roster of athletes

Rickie is breaking in the cart today in his Pro-Am round. He’s playing with his father, Rod Fowler, and famed motocross racers, Jeremy McGrath and Brock Glover. Rickie grew up riding a dirt bike and was once a promising motocross competitor — he LOVES speed (how many MPH does the golf cart have?). He turned his full attention to golf when he was 14, and obviously he was a natural. His racing background shows up in his daredevil approach on the course.

He is excited to be part of the PUMA brand: “[It] is so fun and light-hearted but also serious when it comes to the sport. The PUMA Golf line has all of the features I need to play the game well while allowing me to express my personality with great styles and a unique look, whether I’m playing golf or just hanging out with my friends.”

Rickie makes PUMA look good. And PUMA makes Rickie look good.

Be sure to follow Rickie on Twitter, join his Facebook fan group and check out his new website — management company SFX Golf sees him as “Golf 2.0″ — he’s part of the new generation of young, appealing rising stars with an edge. He sure is! And we couldn’t be happier to have him on the PUMA team.

Good luck this week, Rickie!

The PUMA Open, the final one of the year, is coming to Miami next Friday, Oct 9. It isn’t any ordinary golf tournament. We show the game isn’t so uptight and it’s perfectly OK to have some fun on the course. The event mixes things up with unorthodox holes, casino-style games, drinks, prizes and a totally serious dose of good old-fashioned rule-breaking. Because, you know, you gotta live a little!

Here are the details: Friday, October 9th at the Doral Golf Resort (Blue Monster) and cost is $75 per person (register in teams of four).

Each player receives 4 free drinks, a gift bag stuffed with sponsor goodies, 9 holes of non-traditional golf, on-course games and prizes galore, a tasty buffet dinner, a full-on Vegas-style casino, not to mention exclusive discounts on a fully-stocked pro shop featuring the latest in PUMA Golf Gear.

For a preview of the good times, check out this video with New York Yankees Johnny Damon and LPGA pro Erica Blasberg as they get ready for the PUMA Open.

Go HERE to register: http://www.thepumaopen.com

And anyone who enters “PUMA golf blog” in the “How you heard about the event” field when they register will receive a complimentary PUMA Open flask (which always come in handy) upon check-in.

So, don’t wait to sign-up — you won’t want to miss this last event of the 2009 series!

Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images

The Tour Championship, the final leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, begins tomorrow at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The top 30 players in the points standings are playing for a big, fat $10 million check.

And how did they get to the oh-so-coveted finale? Well, the idea of playoffs still seems contrived to most, not to mention the points system that no one quite understands other than the powers-that-be at the PGA Tour. But that’s another matter. The Tour revamped the points system this season to create more drama and parity. Last year when Vijay Singh won the first two legs, he had insomuch secured the Cup before he teed off at East Lake.

Anyway, players accumulate points throughout the regular season as a reward for consistent play. When the playoffs roll around, the points double to heighten the importance of those events. After the third leg, they’re reset, but the standings remain the same. But really, those in the top 5 are the only ones that have a good shot at winning the Cup. If a player wins the Tour Championship, it doesn’t mean he also wins the FEC. Weird, huh? As it stands, Tiger Woods (surprise!) is leading the race. Following him are Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Heath Slocum.

Now where does PUMA athlete Geoff Ogilvy stand? He’s ranked 13th in the standings. He started the year hot with two wins in his first five starts and took the early lead in the FEC. In two previous appearances at the Tour Championship, he placed in the Top 20 — not too shabby.

Barring some sort of complete anomaly, Tiger will probably win. And few would mind seeing that happen. But here at PUMA, we’ll be hoping for a strong showing by Ogilvy. Be sure to follow him on Twitter as he’ll likely be keeping us updated. Despite the controversy surrounding the playoff system, we’re still pumped for the Tour Championship and looking for an exciting tourney. That said, let the sprint to the finish begin!

It’s Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. and we here at PUMA Golf are looking forward to a few days of beaches and BBQ to kick off the summer. We’ll be back next week with new guest bloggers and some on the ground thoughts from the European Open at The London Golf Club.

We leave you today with this story from our friends in the UK.

A GOLFER has claimed he spotted a “puma” on a course near St Neots. The 62-year-old from Fen Stanton said: “I have never seen anything like this before. The animal that passed me – at great speed – was definitely a puma. It looked like it was chasing something and was bigger than a dog.”

Mythical creature? or PR stunt gone wrong?

Happy Friday all…

We at PUMA Golf are always on the lookout for fresh talent-be it on the course or about the course. To that end, we are excited to be introducing some guest bloggers over the next few weeks who have taken writing about the game to a new level in wit and fun.

Our first guest is freelance writer and blogger extraordinaire Stephanie Wei of the popular site Wei Under Par . Wei was a competitive golfer for ten years and brings an insider’s eye to her golf commentary. She also played on the Yale Women’s Golf Team during college and remains an avid golfer. Her blog includes behind-the-scenes interviews with players, comedy sketches and her own pop culture meets serious performance views on the game we all love.

Below Stephanie answers the age old question-Who’s Your Fantasy Fivesome?

If you could play a round of golf with anyone in the world, who would you choose? You know, like your “Fantasy Fivesome”? Tough question. Off the top of my head, I could name at least 15 people. Check that. Waymore. But if I had to narrow it down to just five, here’s who I’d pick:

Tiger Woods: He’s the most obvious choice. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play with him?! Sure, it’d be just a tad intimidating - he’s the best player in the WORLD! (Despite the recent scrutiny and questions about his recent performance, which I find completely unfair; that’s another story though.) We could all learn a thing or two from Tiger. Perhaps how to perfect “the putter toss.” Just sayin’. But in all seriousness, I think simply watching his swing for 18 holes would knock a few strokes from anyone’s game.

Geoff Ogilvy: This Aussie has established himself as a force to be reckoned with on Tour - with two wins already in the 2009 season! He’s a straight-shooter who makes the game look good. He not only has a solid swing but he also sports some of PUMA’s hottest golf gear. Ogilvy’s a classy guy, who always looks cool and composed on the golf course. He’s charming, well-spoken, and handsome, and of course, he’s one of the best golfer’s in the world. If Tiger doesn’t recover from his recent “slump,” he better watch out for Ogilvy who is definitely capable of taking over the spot as the number one player in the world. He’s got game!

Adam Scott: This is a no-brainer. At least for the ladies. He’s just so dreamy! He’s the number one and only reason women watch golf. You could easily mistake him for a surfer or a model. Oh yeah, he’s also a pretty good golfer. And to play a round with him? Yes, it could be distracting. But, I think we could get pass that. Maybe he’d even be kind enough to give a private lesson!

Fred Couples: Freddie’s a class act - an oldie but a goodie. Have you seen his swing? That’s what I call finesse. No wonder he has those gagillion holes-in-one! He always appears steady and relaxed when he plays - while still having a good time. He’s definitely a guy you’d want to throw back a beer or two with on the 19th hole.

Bill Murray: He’s a funny guy. No doubt he’d keep us laughing throughout the round. He’s not a bad golfer either. Well, actually, that’s debatable. We don’t want to get dinged by one of his errant tee shots, like this unfortunate bystander last month. Fail. Forget the hat or visor, pack a helmet instead - And of course, a copy of Caddyshack for him to sign.

(Need more Wei? She’s totally Twittering)