Rickie Fowler says if he can still win the John Deere despite trailing by five with 18 holes to play

Rickie Fowler burst into life on Saturday at the John Deere Classic, firing a scintillating 63 to vault himself back into contention.

Fowler has compiled a solid set of results on the PGA Tour in 2026, but that all-important victory has still eluded him.

The 37-year-old is without a PGA Tour win since July 2023, but he does have one runner-up finish and four top-10s to his name in 16 starts this season.

Rickie Fowler has played some really impressive golf at times, but one or two really bad holes seem to scupper his chances of winning.

Despite two pedestrian rounds to start the John Deere Classic, Fowler produced some scintillating golf on day three at TPC Deere Run.

He made seven birdies, an eagle, and just one bogey during his round of 63.

Rickie Fowler says if he can still win the John Deere Classic

Putting has been a real problem for Rickie Fowler over the past few seasons, but he got hot with the flat-stick on Saturday at TPC Deere Run, gaining just over 3.3 strokes on the field on the greens.

His putter will have to be red-hot on Sunday as well, if he is to have any chance of winning the tournament.

Fowler trails the leaders by five with just 18 holes left to play, and he responded when asked by one reporter whether he believes he can still win.

“I mean, if you shot 8-under every day, you would be in a good position,“ he said.

“No, it was a good solid day. It was nice to see some putts go in. Hit my irons a lot better, a lot tighter on lines and control out there.

“So, yeah, I mean, basically everything we would have wanted in the day, maybe other than a couple that didn’t necessarily go in. I got some good breaks out there, as well, so can’t complain.

“3-putted the last from long distance, but, you know, 8-under and moving ourselves up into a decent spot. We’ll see how the guys finish up and see if we have any sort of chance tomorrow. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

“Like I said, we’ll kind of see where everyone finishes up, see how far back I’ll be and what kind of push we can make, but a low one is possible. It’s going to take a low one from wherever I’m at. Then, yeah, hope that no one else runs away.“

Rickie Fowler comments on the golf course at the John Deere Classic

Fowler was asked to share his honest opinion on TPC Deere Run as a golf course.

“It’s a good place. I enjoy it. It’s fun to play,“ the American responded.

“You know, you can score around here obviously. You see plenty of good scores, but it’s also — it can be tricky at times, especially when the wind starts to blow.

“I don’t think the golf course is as easy as some of the guys out here make it look, but I think it’s a good golf course. You have to kind of hit your spots.

“There’s not many holes that you can necessarily have guys that can take advantage of a bunch of distance. I think that’s why you’ve seen a lot of different types of players that have won here. Not just guys that are short, long, middle. It’s kind of been a little bit of everything.

“So I’ve enjoyed it. I had a fun time here last year. The kids enjoyed it, so it was easy to decide to come back.“