Rickie Fowler picks the one really difficult hole at Royal Portrush where he is genuinely content to make a bogey

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Rickie Fowler remains in contention at The Open Championship after another solid round at Royal Portrush.

Fowler started the tournament with an impressive two-under-par 69 and followed it up with a 72 to enter the weekend at one under.

The keys to his strong start were his driving and chipping, while his iron play and putting have prevented him from climbing further up the leaderboard.

Despite playing well, the former world number four said after his second round at Royal Portrush that he will happily take a bogey on one particular hole.

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Rickie Fowler happy with bogey on one hole at Royal Portrush

Through two rounds of The Open, Fowler has made eight birdies and seven bogeys. Two of those dropped shots came at the par-four 11th hole.

The 11th hole, named Stevenson’s, is a 475-yard par four that’s actually a par five for the members at Royal Portrush.

It features sand hills and thick rough on both sides, and the fairway turns right after 260 yards. It was the hardest hole at the 2019 Open, and Fowler is finding it difficult again this week.

“It doesn’t take much to get yourself in an interesting spot,” Fowler reflected on the golf course at Royal Portrush.

“I feel like a lot of the greens or a lot of holes typically give you kind of one side where you’re okay, or at least have a chance, and then there are others where you might have a slim chance, but you can turn a poorly executed shot into…

“You’re hoping for bogey sometimes, but you can turn them into doubles and more if you try and maybe get too much out of it or get, as some of us call it, a little too cute.

“You have to think your way around this place, even some of the shorter holes. Number 11, I made bogey the last two days, and it’s basically like making par, I feel like, there.

“Yeah, it’s good. I enjoy it because it demands a lot out of you, hitting different shots, high, low, left, right, especially when the wind is up.”

Why Rickie Fowler loves playing links golf courses

Fowler’s record at The Open Championship suggests that he enjoys playing links golf. He has three previous top-10 finishes, including a T6 at Royal Portrush in 2019.

The 2015 Players Championship winner explained on day two of The Open why his game is suited to the challenge.

“I feel like I’ve always been creative and had a good imagination when it comes to hitting golf shots,” Fowler added. “Growing up on a flat driving range, kind of had to picture different things and hit different shots.

“Over here, there are obstacles out there, but you have to, at times, be able to see the shot, and you have to execute it as well.

“But I find it a lot of fun, this place being a little bit different because it’s a little more in the air than a lot of links courses. But there are always a few different shots you can hit, and then you can make all of them work, but it’s sticking to the one you pick and executing.

“I find it fun because there are so many different variables from how much the ball bounces, whether it’s downwind, using the wind, or not.

“I think it’s the variables part of it, as well as you throw the wind in there, and then I’m not a big fan of the rain, but that’s a big variable when it comes into play.”