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PGA Championship 2026: Rickie Fowler's playing the shortest driver of his career. Here's why it's working
TL;DR
Rickie Fowler will use a 43.25-inch driver at the PGA Championship, the shortest of his career. This change is based on a feel he recalls from his early days on tour, rather than data or swing adjustments.
Key points
- Rickie Fowler is using a 43.25-inch driver at the PGA Championship.
- This is the shortest driver he has ever played professionally.
- The change is based on a feel from his early career, not data.
- Fowler previously used a 45.5-inch driver when he started on tour.
- Cobra tour rep Ben Schomin helped Fowler with this adjustment.
Cobra OPTM XRickie Fowler
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Two and a half inches. That's the gap between the longest and shortest driver builds Rickie Fowler has played in his professional career.
This week at the PGA Championship, Fowler plans to use a 43.25-inch Cobra OPTM X driver, the shortest build he's ever put in the bag, following work with Cobra tour rep Ben Schomin. The change didn't come from a data point or swing overhaul, but rather from a feel he remembered from early in his career.
When Fowler first came out on tour in 2009, he played a 45.5-inch driver and choked down on it—a habit that gave him a sense of control. As his setup evolved over the years, Fowler tried different driver lengths to see which felt better. But no matter what Fowler used, he found himself coming back to the feel of choking down on the club.
During a recent conversation with Schomin, the two discussed options to replicate that feeling, including returning to a longer build.
Instead of repeating old habits, Fowler went in the opposite direction entirely and had the driver built at the shortest length he's ever used in competition.
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Fowler put the 43.25-inch OPTM X in play last week at the Truist Championship and finished T2 to eventual winner Kristoffer Reitan.
The conversation about length had been building for a while. In San Antonio, Fowler moved to 45 inches, but it wasn't working the way he wanted. By last week, he told Schomin the driver just didn't feel like it belonged with the rest of his bag.
"It just doesn't feel like that club quite fits in with the rest of my bag right now," Fowler told him. They went shorter, tried 43.75 inches, and eventually settled on 43.25 inches.
"I think when it gets longer and he's swinging well, it maybe feels like it's just lagging behind him," Schomin said. "When it's shorter, it feels like he can just turn on it a lot better. It's like a good pass."
Q&A
Why is Rickie Fowler using the shortest driver of his career at the PGA Championship?
Fowler is using a 43.25-inch driver to replicate a feel from his early career, which he believes gives him better control.
What was the length of Rickie Fowler's longest driver before this change?
Fowler's longest driver was 45.5 inches, which he played when he first joined the tour in 2009.
Who helped Rickie Fowler with his driver adjustments for the PGA Championship?
Cobra tour rep Ben Schomin assisted Fowler in discussing options for his driver adjustments.
How has Rickie Fowler's driver length changed over his career?
Fowler has experimented with different driver lengths throughout his career but has now opted for the shortest length he's ever used in competition.