Rickie Fowler Shares Incredibly Classy Reaction, Heartfelt Message To Wyndham Clark After Losing The U.S. Open

Rickie Fowler began Sunday's final round at the U.S. Open tied atop the leaderboard with Wyndham Clark and had the masses pulling for him to get the job done and win his first major championship. Eighteen holes later he found himself in a tie for fifth, still searching for his first win in over four years.

There is no other way to put it, Fowler played badly during Sunday's final round. The ball striking was not there and the putter wasn't scorching hot like it was for the opening 54 holes. It's hard to truly contend in a final round when your scorecard features seven bogeys, which was the unfortunate reality for Fowler on Sunday.

While there is no doubt that Fowler was incredibly disappointed that he wasn't able to find the winner's circle, in his typical cool-guy fashion, his reaction after his bad day was nothing but class.

After Clark tapped in to secure his one-shot victory, Fowler gave him a bear hug and shared a heartfelt message to the newest U.S. Open champion.

“Just said, ‘Your mom was with you. She’d be very proud,’” Fowler told Clark, referencing the 29-year-old's mom passing away back in 2013.

Rickie Fowler shared a heartfelt message and great reaction after losing the U.S. Open to Wyndham Clark. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Clark, who spent some time at Oklahoma State, Fowler's alma mater, has explained that he looked up to Fowler as he came up through the ranks. It was very much a full-circle experience as he shared a moment with Fowler on the 18th green.

After his heartbreaking day, Fowler was able to look at things from a very real perspective seconds after the loss as he was greeted by his wife and one-year-old daughter.

“I was excited she stayed up. We pushed her past her bedtime,” Fowler said. “But to have her there, and then we’ll travel to the Travelers tomorrow morning … it just kind of makes you realize and understand golf is special and it’s what I love to do, but it’s definitely not everything.”

Plenty of professional athletes have shared similar messages after tough losses, but there's something about Fowler saying it and you can't help but believe him.