By Tod Leonard
If you examine the career paths and not their Q Scores, there isn’t a good reason why Rickie Fowler should feel any more pressure heading into the final round of the Zozo Championship than Keegan Bradley. At 33 years old, Fowler has won five times on the PGA Tour and, as the leader by one shot over Bradley heading into Sunday, he’s trying for his first win since 2019. Bradley is 36 and has four career victories — the most prized being the 2011 PGA Championship he won in his first major start. (Truly stunning that it was so long ago.) Fowler doesn’t have a trophy that big, but neither has Bradley lived with the weighty expectations that come with being golf’s most sought-after pitchman. Bradley’s victory drought is longer, too; he hasn’t won since the 2018 BMW Championship. But you don’t hear scribes and commentators debating the merits of his career and the reasons for his precipitous fall.

So, in reality, it’s Fowler who has far more to lose in trying to secure the victory early Sunday morning US time in the Zozo at Japan’s Narashino Country Club, while most Americans sleep.

“It would be amazing,” Fowler said of a potential win after shooting a third-round four-under 66 to get to a 14-under total. “Obviously, showing up here, we came over here to win. Last few months have been really good, starting to see a lot of positives. I believe I can do it, but like I said earlier, I know it’s going to be tough.”

Fowler knows as well as anyone the rigours of trying to close a tournament, because he hasn’t exactly had the step-on-their-necks success of a Tiger Woods. Fowler held the 36-hole lead this week, which prompted the statistic that he’s a horrible 1-for-10 in polishing off a halfway advantage. Then, as he maintained his margin heading into the final round, we were reminded that he’s 2-for-8 with solo or co-leads after 54 holes.

It was Fowler who recalled on Friday evening that the most recent occasion he was in this situation was last year’s CJ Cup in Las Vegas. He shot a 63 on Saturday, but faded with a 71 on Sunday and ended up tied for third, three back of winner Rory McIlroy, who closed with a 66.

There is reason to believe Fowler, ranked 160th in the world and making his 299th career tour start on a sponsor’s exemption, is in a much better place, both mentally and physically, this time around. It’s been well-documented that he’s back working with instructor Butch Harmon, and his ball-striking has, for the most part, been superb amid the tight fairways and tall pines at Narashino. Despite ranking 62nd in the 78-man field in driving distance, Fowler is T-2 in greens in regulation, hitting 43 of 54 so far. He’s No. 1 in birdies with 19, with nine of those coming on the five par 3s that dot the course.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Fowler said. “I’m going to have to play well and continue to do what I’ve been doing the last three days. Keegan, Putty [Andrew Putnam], on down the list, there’s plenty of guys within a few shots. I’m out front, in control, but that can change if I don’t execute like I have been.”

Bradley, who has shot 66-65-66 for the week, will play for a second straight day with Fowler, and this isn’t his first time in the vicinity of the Zozo’s lead Sunday group. Three years ago, Bradley battled amid the chaos of Woods winning his 82nd tour title to tie Sam Snead for the all-time mark.

“I watched Tiger win here, I was in his group two years ago or however long it was, so that was really cool,” Bradley said. “It would mean a lot to me to do that tomorrow.”

Threats from farther down the board abound, including the prospect of a prolonged charge by Viktor Hovland, whose tumultuous third round ended with him making a long eagle putt at 18th to finish with a 64 and get to only three back of the lead. Beware of the 25-year-old Norwegian for two notables gleaned from Saturday: He hit all 18 greens in regulation and at the par-5 18th, after being conservative with a 3-wood off the tee, Hovland chose a 7-wood(!) and striped it 250 yards on to the middle of the green to set up the 45-foot eagle.

Those are the kind of heroics the top Zozo contenders either have to repeat or fear, considering 12 of the top 16 golfers on the current leaderboard shot 66 or better on Saturday.

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