Rickie Fowler posted a fine opening round of six-under par 65 at the John Deere Classic on Thursday.

However, his first round at the John Deere Classic did not pass without controversy.

Fowler began his week at the John Deere Classic very much in the news after he backed the PGA Tour‘s plan to limit field sizes and reduce the number of fully exempt cards for 2026.

And the man from Murrieta, California, remains a hotly discussed topic after day one at TPC Deere Run.

Fowler burst out of the blocks in his opening round on Thursday with two straight birdies, but he ended up struggling to a front nine of level par 36.

Then the 36-year-old raced home in 29 to post a really impressive round of 65.

However, Fowler’s score could have been a lot worse after what happened on the 13th hole.

Golf fans call for action after Rickie Fowler ruling at the John Deere

The six-time PGA Tour winner hooked his drive way left off the 13th tee and ended up in the hazard.

Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
However, he received a free ‘line of sight’ drop, with the Shotlink tower supposedly in between him and the flag.

The problem was, Fowler was completely stymied by a large tee directly in front of him. Without the drop, he would have had to pitch out sideways.

The 36-year-old was given a free drop and then had a clear line to the pin, before going on to make a par four on the hole.

And numerous golf fans took to social media platform X to share their anger after the free drop that Fowler was handed.

One golf fan said: “They need to figure out a way to make the shotlink towers mobile. Spend some of that SSG money.“

While another questioned the integrity of the drop: “He literally said he thought from the base of that tree he was somehow going to hook it around the corner and hit the 2 inch diameter pole.“

A third golf fan shared his anger at the situation: “What happened to the game I love . Not even the same sport.“

Meanwhile, a fourth fan was bemused by the fact that Fowler received a free drop: “Getting relief from anything in a penalty area is absolutely insane.“

Then a fifth PGA Tour follower demanded a rule change: “There should be no line of site TIO relief for touring professionals. This is ridiculous.“

While a sixth golf fan made his feelings on the matter very clear indeed: “This is nonsense.“

Before a seventh fan said: “This is a joke … Pro golf is princess golf now … these babies are ruining the game.“

And finally, an eighth golf fan vented: “Roll the TIO back.“

The TIO (Temporary Immovable Obstruction) rule does seem very open to interpretation.

Fowler did nothing wrong at TPC Deere Run on Thursday, he was just using the rules to his advantage.

Rickie Fowler’s stats from John Deere vs 2025 season as a whole

Fowler made some drastic improvements on day one in Silvis, Illinois, on Thursday.

However, despite his round of 65, some of his long-term problems still haunted him.

Here is how his numbers from the opening round of the John Deere Classic compared to his stats for the 2025 season in total:

Stat
John Deere Classic Rank
2025 Rank

Strokes gained off the tee
100th
65th

Strokes gained approach
6th
105th

Strokes gained putting
115th
100th

Strokes gained around the green
2nd
134th

Strokes gained total
T-8th
108th

Fowler made huge strides with his iron play and his short game on day one at the John Deere Classic.

However, his driving and putting were still nowhere near good enough. If he manages to fix those two parts of his game during the next three rounds at TPC Deere Run, he may well end his two-year wait for a victory on the PGA Tour.