Fowler confident major breakthrough will come

PEBBLE BEACH, California: It’s the kind of compliment that can wear thin, but Rickie Fowler is confident he’ll shed the tag of “best player never to win a major” whether it’s at Pebble Beach this week or not.

Fowler will tee it up in a major for the 37th time when the US Open begins on Thursday. The 30-year-old American has won five US PGA Tour titles, but has yet to break through on the game’s biggest stages and once again he faced the question of just how big a burden that had become.

“It’s a compliment in a way,” Fowler said. “Obviously there’s a lot of great players that haven’t won a major. “It’s not necessarily something I think about or worry about. I know that when the time is right, it’s going to happen.”

Fowler noted he’d put himself in position to win majors, notably at the 2014 PGA championship at Valhalla when he was left to regret ill-timed miscue at the par-three 14th. “I wouldn’t say I’ve necessarily had one in my hands and let it slip away, which is a good thing,” Fowler said.