U.S. Open Championship Golf Tournament
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Rickie Fowler didn't possess, or hadn't showcased, the ability to close. It's one of the most damning criticisms of an elite athlete, and a growing narrative for Fowler in recent years. His proponents called it perception. Except that Fowler himself conceded as much at this year's Masters. Fowler, who entered the final round at Augusta National with seven top-five major finishes but infamously no title, made a spirited run at the green jacket. He played the final 11 holes in six under, capped by a cold-blooded, "Did you see THAT?!" birdie drop on the 18th. Though it proved to be a stroke short, the charge was a revelation. "It feels a lot different," Fowler said that Sunday. "This is the most … I mean, I am ready to go win a major, but this was kind of the first major week that I understood that and known that and felt that." Though the moment ultimately belonged to Patrick Reed, to Fowler's fans—which there are...