Rickie Fowler Drinks Water (And Why That Matters to Promo Distributors)

By Brendan Menapace

Golf fans noticed that Rickie Fowler was carrying around a reusable water bottle covered in stickers along the course at Los Angeles Country Club during the U.S. Open.

Credit: Getty Images by Sean M. Haffey

This, in itself, is not newsworthy. Fowler's response to why he was carrying around the water bottle is even less newsworthy or shocking.

"The real reason is I drink more water and electrolytes when I carry it," he said, according to the PGA. "I started carrying it at the beginning of this year. I drink more if I'm carrying it, and it's also heavy when it's full, so I don't want to necessarily throw that on Rick, my caddie, to tote that thing around."

There you have it. Famous golfer Rickie Fowler uses his water bottle to stay hydrated, and is a decent enough guy to not force his caddy to carry anything extra.

As for the stickers, he says that he has a few things from places like a St. Louis brewery called Side Project, just like everyone else who likes collecting brewery stickers and other memorabilia.

Credit: Getty Images by Ross Kinnaird

Now, before you quit reading and get mad at me for wasting your time, remember that Rickie Fowler has been a trend-setting young golfer in his time on the sport's largest stage. Known for wearing bright orange outfits complete with hats that reflected the stylish flat brims of streetwear culture at the time, Fowler did change the way that golfers dressed. It's undeniable.

If you look at golf now, you see a lot more apparel that looks more stylish. Heck, a lot of it even bleeds into other subcultures. Phil Mickelson's apparel company is currently being sued by a skateboard shoe company for copying its logo. The shoes look more like sneakers. The apparel is made to look stylish while also performing at the sport's higher athletic peak brought about by guys like Tiger.

And yes, people will see Rickie Fowler carry around a water bottle on the golf course and think about doing the same next time they're out on the links.

You guys think I'm kidding. I'm carrying that Ricky Fowler water bottle around from now on @MedinahCC

— John Cashman (@JCChicagoHusky) June 18, 2023

This means that golf promos could include branded water bottles in a kit along with golf towels, tees, balls, hats, and everything else that goes in a typical golf promo. You could even throw in a few stickers to get the end-user's collection started, featuring the logo of the golf course, event sponsors, or things of that nature.

So, while a headline like "Rickie Fowler uses water bottle" won't draw any attention from the promotional products space, the implications of this "non-story" are important. This story about a water bottle will have a ripple effect into the whole golf product sales category.