Monday Backspin: Fowler's fast rise; U.S. Open qualifying; more

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Justin Rose knows exactly how Rickie Fowler feels. More than a decade ago, Rose was a 17-year-old amateur who had the golf world buzzing with his fourth-place finish at the 1998 British Open.

What followed, however, was mostly disappointment and unfulfilled promise -- until Sunday, of course, when Rose won in the U.S. for the first time in his career.

Fowler is just 21 years old and he already has three runner-up finishes in just 19 starts as a professional (two on the PGA TOUR, one on the Nationwide Tour). But don't expect Fowler to have the same career arc as Rose. His game is too good and so are his intangibles.

On the game: Fowler has all the shots. I first saw it at the Shark Shootout last December when he knocked a 6-iron to 10 feet from just 140 yards. That type of creativity impressed Mark Calcavecchia.

On the intangibles: After laying up on a par-5 coming down the stretch in Phoenix earlier this year, Fowler was criticized heavily. He never wavered, though, saying that if he had more than a 5-iron in, he was going to lay up because of the pin position, etc. And after coming up short Sunday, he wasn't disappointed but encouraged by the results. It's a little like Jack Nicklaus in that Fowler only remembers the positive.

Asked what he'll take away from the week, Fowler said, "I'm going to feel a lot more comfortable being in contention throughout the rest of the year."

You have to be confident to pull off that orange-on-orange-on-orange outfit that's become Fowler's trademark on Sundays, too.

"For the most part, I wear what I want to wear, and that's who I am," Fowler said. "I grew up on a driving range, playing public courses. I wasn't the country club kid and grew up wearing colorful things. I guess standing out a bit and being different."

Stock up

Rickie Fowler: A final-round 73 notwithstanding, Fowler now has five top-10s, including two runner-up finishes, in 16 starts this season. That's more than beginner's luck. FedExCup rank: 12 (28 last week) Bo Van Pelt: No one has been hotter the last month or so without winning than Van Pelt, who has five top-10s in his last six starts, which includes a T3 at the Memorial, a T4 at THE PLAYERS and a fifth-place finish at Quail Hollow. FedExCup rank: 15 (21 last week) Ricky Barnes: He's either streaky good or streaky bad and right now it's the former with Barnes finishing in the top 7 each of the last two weeks. The downside to that is that only once in his career has Barnes posted three straight top-10s. FedExCup rank: 29 (39 last week)

Stock down

Lucas Glover: The defending U.S. Open champion missed the cut at the Memorial, meaning that he still has just one top-20 since the end of January. It was also the second missed cut in Glover's last five starts. FedExCup rank: 45 (40 last week) David Duval: The good news: Duval finished second at Pebble Beach, site of the U.S. Open next week, earlier this year. The bad news: He has missed three of his last four cuts and four of his last six. FedExCup rank: 87 (83 last week) Mike Weir: In his last 22 rounds, Weir is a cumulative 19 over, which includes three missed cuts in his last four starts. On the year, Weir has just one top-10, which came in his first start of the year the Bob Hope Classic. FedExCup rank: 83 (80 last week)

THE BACK NINE: 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. If I could have one wish for golf on TV, it would be that Jack Nicklaus would be in the booth for every telecast. He spent considerable time behind the mic at his Memorial Tournament and was as entertaining as he was informative. Please Jack, come back soon. We enjoy listening to you.

2. You want to know why people love Phil Mickelson? Aside from the endless autograph signing, it's shots like the one he hit on No. 15 Sunday ... off the cart path. Mickelson hit his tee shot so far left it landed in a creek that doesn't even come into play on the hole, prompting Jack Nicklaus to joke the hole wasn't designed to be played from there. Mickelson took a drop (actually he got to place the ball on the asphalt) and hit a majestic 3-wood off the cart path. Mickelson had come to the tee thinking eagle, but he ultimately made a double bogey. Still, it's a thrill-a-minute with Phil.

3. As expected, Tiger Woods will go without a swing coach at least for now. It makes sense on a couple of different levels in that no one knows his own game better than Woods and no coach would probably want to step into that spotlight right now. That said, Sean Foley is one name that has come up a lot. Foley in the past has said he wouldn't mind working with Woods. Foley is also the man behind Justin Rose's recent success and he also works with Sean O'Hair. Both Rose and O'Hair are good friends with Woods, so it would be a smooth fit.

4. The new EA Sports Tiger Woods PGA TOUR '11 game hits stores this week and as one fellow golf scribe noted, the commercial for the game is about the only place we're seeing Woods' fist pumps these days. As a side note to that, Ian Poulter, who is also in the game, will be on the Jimmy Fallon Show Monday night to help promote it. Don't expect any crazy outfits, though. Poulter will wear jeans and a jacket on the show and said he even got his hair cut a little shorter given the hot summer weather.

5. Nick Faldo and others were a little critical of Rickie Fowler slapping hands with fans as he made his way between various holes at Muirfield Village. My question is: Why? To think he shouldn't slap hands because he might bend a finger is short-sighted and silly.

6. The one big name missing from the 20somethings this summer? Anthony Kim, who is at home recovering from thumb surgery that will cause him to miss the U.S. and British Opens. Kim will turn 25 in a couple of weeks. What can we expect when he does come back? According to his agent, Kim is doing well.

7. No rest for the weary. There are some pretty big names playing in 36-hole U.S. Open qualifiers today with everyone from Corey Pavin to Justin Rose to Rickie Fowler to Tony Romo teeing it up. Nearly half of the field for the U.S. Open will come from qualifiers scattered across the country.

8. Romo, of course, is the one with the most star power. He's also the most intriguing. He can flat out play. He shot 69 in his local qualifier and earned a spot today by winning a playoff.

9. You can argue that Vijay Singh deserved a special exemption into the U.S. Open, but that argument loses a little weight when Singh says things like this: "When I found out my tee time is 7:30, I said, 'I'm not going to go and qualify.'" Yes, Singh has been playing through some injuries this year, but giving him an exemption isn't quite the same as giving Tom Watson one for a whole laundry list of reasons.

The Forward Spin

You can expect two things in Memphis: Good ribs and hot weather. That's where the TOUR will be this week for the St. Jude Classic presented by Smith & Nephew. It's also the site of where Brian Gay put on a pretty dominating display last year. Gay was 10 under by the weekend at TPC Southwind and went on to win by five shots over Bryce Molder and David Toms. In other words, expect guys who pour in a lot of putts to be in contention, which is obvious to say, but this is a ball-striker's/putter's golf course. Just look at the list of winners there the last five years: Gay, Justin Leonard (twice), Woody Austin and Jeff Maggert. Toms, by the way, has also won there twice. Oh, and 16-year-old Jordan Spieth will be playing. If you missed him in Texas, tune in. The kid looks like he's going to be the real deal.

This week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-3, 239-yard 14th at TPC Southwind THIS WEEK: This hole requires a long iron or wood tee shot. An elevated tee and a full carry over water to a severely undulated green is hard enough, but it's also protected by water on its entire right side. In short, it's a very difficult par 3, set among a natural amphitheater.Click here to tour the Kodak Challenge holes | Current Kodak Challenge standings