Fowler's great expectations

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The talented young American set his own goals for 2011, and will do the same again in 2012.

"I think I put a lot more pressure on myself with the goals that we had set for the year with one being getting my firstCallaway Diablo Octane Driver
win, playing well through the FedExCup series and then making the Ryder Cup team," Fowler told pgatour.com. "So I've got a lot to think about on my own, and not going to worry too much outside of that."

Fowler did secure his first professional win at the Kolon Korea Open last year, beating Rory McIlroy by six strokes in the process, and though the win did not come on the PGA Tour, it still meant a lot.

"It was a great feeling to finally put four rounds together, and the amount of focus and confidence I had throughout the week definitely going to draw off that and trying to get in the same frame of mind the whole year," he said. Callaway Diablo Octane Driver

Fowler grew up only an hour away from Torrey Pines, which hosts this week's Farmers Insurance Open where the 23-year-old will kickstart his season. He's a popular figure everywhere in the States, but even more so here.

On Monday, Fowler participated in a pro-am to help raise money for fellow PGA pro Charley Hoffman's charity and stuck around till the end for the post-event party. He was up again at the crack of dawn on Tuesday for a practice round with Hoffman before hosting a media event for the new EA sports Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 video game and then making his way to Balboa Park for a youth clinic in the afternoon.

"If you could say a bad word about Rickie Fowler, there must be something wrong with you," Hoffman said. "He's a great kid. Good head on his shoulders. Great ambassador to golf. He gets it. He get that's he's a marketable guy. He takes time for the fans.

"He's a great golfer, a better person. I mean he doesn't think he's bigger or better than the game. He loves to playCallaway Diablo Octane Driver
. I don't know if he gets it is enough, but he understands the time commitment and what goes along with the sponsors and so on and so forth."