Say what you will about Rickie Fowler, but there’s no denying the 27-year-old is one of the best golfers on the planet, and probably the most popular.

Sure, Fowler doesn’t have the resume of Jason Day, Jordan Spieth or Rory McIlroy, but that doesn’t mean his accolades aren’t impressive. He’s currently the No. 5-ranked golfer in the world, and his victories at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship, 2015 Players Championship and the 2016 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship indicate that his game is only getting better with age.

This month, Red Bulletin is publishing an in-depth look at all things Fowler, and has given GolfWRX an exclusive on a portion of the Q&A. Enjoy it below.

The Red Bulletin: You make pro golf look like fun.

Rickie Fowler: It’s not an act. I’ve got a different background from almost any golfer out there—you don’t see many guys coming from action sports into golf, but coming out of supercross, the stadium life, I like to push the limits. I like noise. That’s why I love the tournament in Phoenix. That’s a loud golf tournament. Coming down the stretch with this huge rowdy crowd yelling their heads off—to me, that’s a good time.

Golf’s a lot safer than bike racing.

True. When I was 15 I went riding with some guys in the desert. We set up a makeshift track and took off. They came over the backside of a jump and I didn’t see them till we were all in the air. At that point I ditch my bike so it won’t hit them, but I’m still moving pretty good when we crash, and it’s like hitting a wall. Broke my foot in three places and my knee blew up like a balloon.

Is that why you switched to golf?

No, but it sped up the decision.

Compared to that, golf’s a walk in the park.

In golf you get repetition stress. In 2012 and ’13, I got stress fractures in my backbone thanks to my golf swing. I had to tone down the violent change of direction at the top of my swing. There’s little stuff, too. A paper cut on your fingertip can throw you off all day. Pro golfers swing so hard, we get splits in the skin on our hands, like open sores. I’ve used Super Glue on those. You glue your hand up and play.

Your heritage is as different as your driving-range background.

Yeah, my grandpa’s Japanese. His name’s Yutaka Tanaka—I’ve got it tattooed on my arm. And my grandmother’s Navajo. I was raised with both cultures, with a sort of common-sense approach that has to do with being positive. Treating people the way you want to be treated. Don’t talk bad about people or wish bad things on them. Try to live happy. That can be tough when you’re playing professional golf, where most guys don’t win even once a year, but I’m working on it.

In early February at Phoenix, you were leading by two shots with two holes to play. Your whole family was there, your dad and grandpa walking down the fairway with you. Then you hit two balls in a pond. What did you learn? Do you think it was nerves?

Any golfer who says he doesn’t get nervous is lying. But I don’t get scared. I did a study for Red Bull a few years ago, me and some amateur players. They hooked us up to monitors, and the amateurs’ pulse went up before they hit a shot. They were nervous. My heart rate stayed constant, and then spiked after I hit the ball. That adrenaline rush when the ball’s in the air and you’re waiting to see how it lands, that’s a cool feeling.

Talk about what’s on tap this year. 

It’s a huge year for golf! We’ve got the majors, the Olympics and the Ryder Cup. I’ve been on two Ryder Cup teams, so I’ve played for my country. That’s a different sort of golf. And the Olympics—there hasn’t been golf in the Olympics for 100 years. How cool would it be to win a gold medal and hear the national anthem? I’ve been close in the majors. Winning one, that’s the next step for me. It’s a real, true, attainable goal, and hopefully I won’t stop at one.

You’ve toned down the outfits. Is that a conscious decision or is it you growing up and getting older? 

It’s a little bit of growing up. I don’t want to go too crazy out there. I definitely want my golf game to speak more than whatever it is I might be wearing. I feel like we’ve still got a bit of fun with the clothing, like the tribute to Payne Stewart, wearing the knickers at the U.S. Open last year. I try to keep it fun in a way, but I don’t want people to know what I’m going to be wearing. I don’t want them to expect a certain thing. I want to keep them guessing a bit.

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