Rickie Fowler parts ways with longtime caddie

Rickie Fowler has parted ways with longtime caddie Joe Skovron ahead of this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Former PGA Tour player Colt Knost and Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis were the first to report on Tuesday that Skovron is no longer employed by Fowler. Skovron has been on the bag since Fowler turned professional in 2009.

"It was a team decision," Fowler told the Associated Press. "Decided to go different ways. It could be the best option currently. By no means does this mean it's the end of the road. He's like a big brother to me."

Together Fowler and Skovron have won five PGA Tour events, including the 2015 Players Championship, and have logged 12 top-10 finishes in major championships. The duo have also appeared in four Ryder Cups and three Presidents Cups.

However, Fowler has been in the slump for the better part of three seasons. Once as high as No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Fowler enters the week at 167th in the global order. After 11 straight trips to the playoffs, Fowler missed out for the first time last season and was the last man in this year, benefitting from a number of players ahead of him on the FedEx Cup standings defecting to LIV Golf. 

According to the Associated Press and Jason Sobel of the Action Network, Fowler will employ Ben Schomin as a fill-in caddie this week. Schomin is a Cobra Golf employee who served as a temporary loop for Bryson DeChambeau last year.

"It is different," Fowler told the AP. "In 13 years, there's been only one other week, my rookie year, when I had someone else on the bag. One of our assistants from Oklahoma State, Donnie Darr, he caddied for me at the Memorial. Outside of that, Joe has been my guy."