Rickie Wins: Gentlemen, Rev Your Big Four Engines!

Technically, Rickie Fowler's Deutsche Bank Championship win gets him in the Big Three...that's, three-time PGA Tour winners.

But as nice as his third worldwide win of 2015 was, few were ready to put Fowler in the class of yesterday's news--McIlroy, Spieth and Day. To put it another way, engines are revving, but no one has started a Big Four campaign. Though it's only Monday.

John Strege noted the hilarity of Jordan Spieth likely returning to the top spot off of two missed cuts, but at least Fowler moved up to 5th as he once again looked quite comfortable pursuing a final round lead.

NBC’s Johnny Miller went to BYU and majored in physical education, which rules him out. “If any of you out there can figure out how a guy [Jordan Spieth] can miss two cuts in a row and now become number one [in the World Ranking] over Rory [McIlroy], let me know,” he said.

Clarity is preferred, and on that note the erstwhile enigma known as Rickie Fowler has provided it, by stepping up in 2015 and finally matching his style with substance.

What also has become clear in this, his breakout season is that he isn’t afraid of center stage, to wit his dramatic playoff victory over Sergio Garcia and Ken Kisner in the Players and his clutch 18th-hole birdie to win the Scottish Open.

At least Fowler has a good sense of where he is in relation to the three young guys in front of him, and the person who doesn't count because he's a not millennial (but he does have two green jackets).

“With the three guys that they talk about, Jason, Rory and Jordan, they've clearly played the best out of anyone over the past few months to couple of years,” Fowler said. “So I'm trying to be a small fourth thrown in there. But there are a lot of other really good young players playing well right now, as well.”

More humility from Fowler bagman Joe Skovron, courtesy of Helen Ross at PGATour.com.

But you can tell he's wearing it on his shoulders; you can tell," Skovron said. "... It builds up because he wants to win. He wants to do all these things and I think the expectations were so high so quick because of the popularity -- and he's just grown into his game.

"... Everybody just gets really ahead of themselves. We obviously were expecting more, too, and wanted it. But sometimes it doesn't come exactly when you want it."

And the tamping down continued over at golf.com, where the Sunday roundtable put Rickie in his place.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Fowler has had two terrific wins this year against good fields on golf courses where a lot can go wrong. He's contended in majors. He's fun to watch. I love his energy. But McIlroy, Spieth and Day are, for now, a full tier ahead of him, and McIlroy and Spieth have more shots at their disposal.

Eamon Lynch, managing editor, GOLF.com (@EamonLynch): For all of his game-changing stardom and greatly improved results, Fowler has to be considered just outside the upper echelon until he wins a major. It's the standard to entry to that elite bracket.

Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated (@GaryVanSickle): Rickie had what would've been a Player-of-the-Year type performance in many years but not this year. The New Big Three are on top of the golf world. Rickie is in a class that's one step down. He has to win a major to step up to that top tier.

The highlights: