Rickie Fowler has showed that he has everything from talent to style, and more essential he can handle pressure like a veteran. Dare we say, he’s the real deal? He certainly has the attention of the golf world and has swiftly become a fan favorite.

In only his second start as a professional, he found himself in a three-way playoff with Troy Matteson and Jamie Lovemark, another young, rising star. Unfortunately, he lost on the second playoff hole to Matteson. Still, a T2 isn’t so bad, not to mention it was his second top-10 finish in two weeks!

He stole quite a bit of Matteson’s thunder, too. He fired a final round 6-under 64, which included a sweet ace on the 5th hole.

Rickie’s strong showing sure added a ton of excitement to the usually somewhat dull Fall Series. I mean, who wasn’t glued to their TV during that final stretch? More important to note is the Golf Channel’s man-crush on the kid. It was nonstop Rickie-gushing (but, hey, can you blame them?!). In Saturday’s telecast, the commentators mentioned one of their producers thought Rickie looked like a young Leonardo DiCaprio. Then, during his round on Sunday, they did a split screen of him and Leo. So, it appears golf has a new heartthrob. Finally.

With the $440,000 check he took home, he’s earned a total of $553,700 in two weeks! This puts him around 130th or so on the money list — he needs to be in the top-125 to secure his full 2010 Tour card. Now the big question is what he’ll do next. Rickie has said the plan all along has been Q-school. But, given his fantastic finishes, the decision was easy for him:

Right now I’m gonna go to Viking next week. Gonna fly out in the morning. And then I’m not sure if I’m gonna get to second, possibly third stage. The plans are still to go to Q-School. I’m gonna go into next week with the same game plan I did those last two. Seemed to work out pretty well these last two weeks, so we’ll see what happens next week.

Either way, the chances are good he’ll get his card. He also might become the first player since Ryan Moore in 2005 to dodge Q-school, and before him, the last player was Tiger Woods.

One thing is for sure: It’s great to see a young guy, especially one that’s as fun to watch as Rickie, put himself in contention so fast out the gate. If he keeps playing like this, he just might get his first win very soon.

[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

With all the young talent these days, there’s a ton of hype that comes with it — Rickie Fowler, an All-American standout at Oklahoma State, is one of them. But unlike some, he’s backing it up with his phenomenal play. I mean, wow, the kid is having a ridiculously remarkable fall. He sure has the attention of the Golf Channel’s commentators, who have been joyously singing his praises (hmm, do I smell a crush?).

At his first PGA Tour event as a professional last week, he finished T7. And now, at the Frys.com Open, he’s continuing his hot streak. In the first round, he tore it up with a 5-under 65, good enough for T4. He followed it by lighting it up with an outstanding 6-under 64.  Though half the field have yet to finish their rounds, Rickie is currently at the very top of the leaderboard. His solid ballstriking has been one of the keys to his success as he’s only missed two greens in 36 holes. (Red hot!)

After his round, he told the Golf Channel:

“People ask me how it feels to be a professional now and playing in the PGA Tour events as a pro, I feel the same. I feel pretty relaxed out there and just kind of doing my thing. It seems to be working out pretty well. Going into Saturday and Sunday, I’m just going to try and put together two solid rounds. I plan on going to Q-school and not look too far ahead. I’m just going to focus on this weekend.”

To bypass Q-school and secure his Tour card, Rickie needs a victory this week (to finish in the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list). While winning ain’t easy, he couldn’t be in a better position to carry out this first-rate feat. And given the way he’s playing, along with his fearless, relaxed attitude, it surely wouldn’t be out of the question.

[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Image]

Contrary to popular belief, golf can be a great workout. Here’s Team Real Estate Pimps playing the “On the Clock” hole, where time is counted and not strokes, at the PUMA Open in Miami.

It was a fantastic week for PUMA golfers. Johan Edfors placed T6 at the Portugal Masters. He fired scores of 66-69-68-68 for a total of 17-under. The hunky Swede finished 6 strokes behind Englishman Lee Westwood, who won for the first time in two years. 

After this solid showing, Edfors is ranked 30th on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai.

Congrats on the great play, Johan!

[Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe]

Believe the hype? Rising star Rickie Fowler shot rounds of 67-64-69-68 for a total of 16-under and good enough for T7 at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. It was an outstanding showing, especially for his first PGA Tour event as a professional.

Post-round he tweeted: That last bird made me some good cash…just hangin out at my place for the night and then off to AZ in the a.m.

Uh yeah, $113,700, to be exact.

The top-ten finish earned him an exemption to the Frys.com Open this week in Scottsdale, AZ, saving him from using a pricey sponsor’s exemption he had previously secured. So, he’ll have the opportunity to play in another Fall Series event (if he chooses).

He’ll be vying for his full Tour card at Q-school in December — unless he’s goes off and does something crazy like, you know, win a tournament. We would positively PUMA ourselves if that happened.

[Photo by Marc Feldman/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]

The Doral Golf Resort played host to the final PUMA Open this year. And what better way to close a successful season than at the renowned Blue Monster course?! The tourney was a wild success. The photos below tell the story…

Underdog team PUMA Steve placed second in both the golf and casino gaming, which earned them the overall PUMA Open King award.

No shirts required in the Jungle.

Looking good decked out in PUMA Golf gear.

Now doesn’t that seem like a great time? Get excited for next season’s string of PUMA Opens!

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!

Tiger Woods and Geoff Ogilvy Hang Out During the First Day of the Presidents Cup Matches at Harding Park in San Francisco

Though Ogilvy/Ishikawa played well today, they couldn’t measure up to Tiger Woods’ and Steve Stricker’s practically flawless play. To Ogilvy and Ishikawa’s credit, Woods/Stricker were virtually unbeatable today, winning the match 6&4. The duo only missed two greens and two fairways and made 7 birdies in 14 holes.

A rather awkward situation happened on the 4th green. Ogilvy was lining up an 8-footer to save the hole, but had to back off when a phone rang. He regrouped and stood over the putt again, only to hear the phone ring again. He restarted his routine and the phone rang YET AGAIN! I mean, seriously?! Phones are not allowed at golf tournaments, but if you’re going to sneak it in, then at least have the courtesy to put it on the silent!

Oh, but the most interesting part was that the owner of the phone was a marshal! And he was too irritated at the situation to realize that it was his faux pas! Now that’s embarrassing.

Stricker said, “It was a little awkward.” And to make matters worse, a rude (and probably drunk) fan yelled “Noonan” — a Caddyshack reference — just before Ogilvy missed the putt. Ouch.

Tiger was seen shaking his head and apologized to Ogilvy for the comment. He also called Ogilvy “a class act” for how he handled the situation.

Anyway, despite the loss, it was a great effort by Ogilvy and Ishikawa. In Friday’s fourball match, Ogilvy is paired with ‘09 Masters Champion Angel Cabrera, and are both known to drop tons of birdies when they get hot. The two face the power duo of Stricker/Woods. Geez, lucky for Geoff? At least we’re getting to see a ton of him on the telecast!

[Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images]

Geoff Ogilvy hanging out with President Clinton in a practice round

The Presidents Cup gets underway today at Harding Park in San Francisco. Here are the pairings for Thursday’s foursome  matches:

International vs. US.

Tim Clark and Mike Weir vs. Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson

Adam Scott and Ernie Els vs. Hunter Mahan and Sean O’Hair

Vijay Singh and Robert Allenby vs. Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink

Angel Cabrera and Camilo Villegas vs. Kenny Perry and Zach Johnson

Geoff Ogilvy and Ryo Ishikawa vs. Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker

Retief Goosen and Y.E. Yang vs. Jim Furyk and Justin Leonard

In case you’re not familiar with the “foursome” format, it’s basically just two guys playing “alternate shot” — Player A hits the drive and then Player B hits the next shot, etc. As you see, PUMA athlete Geoff Ogilvy is paired with 18-year-old phenom Ryo Ishikawa…and they’re taking on the world’s number 1 and 3 players, Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker.

This match will definitely be the one to watch. Ogilvy’s record at past Presidents Cup matches is 2-3-0. He is the top-ranked player on the International squad. And Ishikawa is probably the hottest one — last week he won on the Japanese Tour, his fourth victory since June.

Ogilvy requested to be paired with the young’n. In yesterday’s presser, Ryo said:

The first time I met Mr. Ogilvy was at the Taiheiyo Masters in Japan. He was very nice to me then and also coming into this week, he’s been really nice to me this week. I’m just really happy to be paired with him. Because I had known him in the past, I didn’t know that I would get to pair with him this week, but it was great that it worked out this way and that I get to pair with him. And the other players and caddies have come up me and said, “Geoff really wanted to play with you.” So when I heard that, I was really, really happy.

Aww, shucks! Awfully kind of Ogilvy to step up and mentor the teen! Best of luck to them tomorrow — they best be bringing their A game to beat Tiger/Stricker! But hey, crazier things have happened. Not to mention there’s more chance for underdogs to disappoint in match play. And that’s why it’s so fun to watch. Get excited!