Rickie Fowler chugs champagne and thanks his critics for voting him overrated

Rickie Fowler has won three tournaments since May, when his colleagues (anonymously) voted him and Ian Poulter the most overrated players on the PGA Tour. On Monday, after coming from behind to capture the Deutsche Bank Championship, the now fifth-ranked golfer in the world tipped his oversized orange Puma golf cap to his critics, who no doubt are now eating their own hats as well as a healthy helping of crow.

“Being called overrated, I won three times,” Fowler quipped to reporters after edging Henrik Stenson by one shot at TPC Boston, “so thanks for the poll, I guess.”

Fowler could have gloated about winning The Players Championship immediately after his peers’ views of him appeared on Golf.com but instead took the high road. He claimed he did not use such bulletin board material as motivation and that the timing of the poll was fortuitous.

“I’ve been playing very well the last couple of years, it was just a matter of time before I knocked on the door,” said the three-time tour winner, who also won this year’s Scottish Open in July. “It was maybe unfortunate that the poll came out at that time and it was just coincidence that I won at that time.”

Fowler, who earned a congratulatory tweet from DBC tourney host Tiger Woods, also threw his flat brim into the race against Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth for top dog.

“With the three guys that they talk about, Jason, Rory and Jordan, they’ve clearly played the best out of anyone over the past few months to couple of years,” Fowler said. “So I’m trying to be a small fourth thrown in there.”

If he ran the table and prevailed in the final two playoff games and captured the FedEx Cup, Fowler might get some mention as a Player of the Year candidate. While Spieth’s four tour wins and two major titles in 2015 would still trump Fowler’s four Ws, Little Rickie’s post-victory gesture may have earned some PoY consideration from those who will do the voting.

After his press conference, Fowler sent a case of champagne to the media.

It was the second time Fowler has bought reporters a round. He sent booze to the writers after making a hole-in-one at the Quicken Loans National.

At the Deutsche Bank, Fowler went the extra mile and appeared in the media tent to toast the ink-stained wretches.

Nice touch, Rickie.