PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Rickie Fowler does not look like the player who walked away from his last event in tears because he was so gutted about his failure to win.
Fowler looks like the hottest player in the world after carding his second consecutive 4-under-par 66 on Friday to take the 36-hole lead at 8-under par in the Honda Classic at PGA National.
Not only did Fowler complete his first two rounds without carding a bogey or worse for the first time in his career, but also he became the first player to accomplish that feat in the Honda Classic since the tournament moved to PGA National nine years ago.
“That’s a big accomplishment around this golf course,’’ Fowler said. “Not just one day, but two back-to-back.’’
It indeed is impressive considering last season the Honda Classic was the second most difficult venue of the PGA Tour schedule, other than the four major championships, and the wind has been howling for most of the past two days.
Fowler, who lost to Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff at the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this month, has finished in the top 5 in three of his past four tournaments. He has won four of the past 20 tournaments he has entered worldwide.
But after failing to capitalize on having a late lead in Phoenix, Fowler was driven to tears because he desperately wanted to win for the first time with his grandfather in attendance.
Now, playing just minutes from his home in Jupiter, Fla., Fowler has a chance to make amends for Phoenix with a strong weekend performance.
“It’s nice to put together a couple good rounds after Phoenix,’’ Fowler said. “Obviously, I played well there and played well down the stretch. [It] just didn’t go my way. I’m excited to be back in contention here. I’ve been swinging well. I’m definitely pleased with the first two days and looking forward to the weekend.’’
Fowler’s chief weekend competition figures to come from Jimmy Walker, who followed his first-round 67 with a 66 on Friday to stand at 7-under, one shot off the lead. Sergio Garcia, who entered the day with a share of the first-round lead at 5-under, shot 69 on Friday and is 6-under, two back.
Adam Scott, who is striking the ball as beautifully as anyone in the field the past two days, is three back at 5-under after shooting 65 on Friday. Hudson Swafford, who also shot 65 Friday, is 4-under, as is Blayne Barber.
“[Saturday] is going to be an important day,’’ said Garcia, who was paired with Fowler for the first two rounds. “Rickie is playing really, really well, so I’m going to have to play extremely well to keep up with him. We’ll see. Hopefully we have a good chance on Sunday, be up there, playing well and see what we can do.’’
Garcia came to the Honda Classic with rattled confidence after missing the cut last week at the Northern Trust Open at Riviera, a course he loves to play.
“I’m excited to feel like I’m playing a little bit better,’’ Garcia said. “To be up there is a good thing. We’ll take all of those good things and try to use them to our advantage.’’
Walker did a masterful job of keeping Fowler in his sights with a birdie-eagle finish on 17 and 18.
“I think it’s important to be close to the lead in a tournament like this, because it’s such a hard golf course,’’ Walker said. “The field can get separated, but it seems like it gets really bunched up, too. You’ve got guys that can play really, really well and kind of distance themselves.’’
Walker said he heard the crowd roar when Fowler birdied No. 9, his final hole of the round, and “I knew I needed to make birdie on the last hole to keep pace with him.’’
Asked what his electric finish meant, Walker said, “It adds up to a great day.’’