Fowler's edgy and talented, but give the rookie time to learn

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Rickie Fowler, seen here in one of his trademark outfits, has two runner-up finishes in just 14 career PGA TOUR starts.

He rocks the primary-colors, head-to-toe smurf look like no one else. A little edgy, a lot of fun.

Has that Chase Crawford/Ed Westwick twentysomething heartthrob look going too. So much so that we wouldn't be surprised if he was offered a Gossip Girl cameo one of these days.

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Hey, even the signature Sunday Oklahoma State orange works. You may think it's a bit loud, but if you remember the OSU/Texas/University of Houston school-color plaid golf pants of the 60s and 70s, this is subtle.

The only thing we question is the cap. A little oversized by our contemporary-of-Ben Crenshaw-Curtis Strange-and-Jay Haas estimation -- we liked last year's painter-style cap -- but what do we know? We're sure they'll be everywhere soon.

The bottom line is simple: Rickie Fowler has our attention.

Front-and-center. Booming drives. Solid game. Confidence with a dash of flash. Aggressive style and a fast pace. A playoff loss at the Frys.com Open last fall. Great Q-school. Two chances to win this year alone.

But a little perspective here. Attention is one thing. Over-the-top expectations are quite another.

Unlike some observers, we're not drawing any "next" comparisons here. No reason. He's a 21-year-old with serious style and a more serious game. He's also a rookie. And, well, you know what that means. Inconsistency.

To go along with those two almosts -- a runner-up finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and a share of fifth at the Farmers Insurance Open -- he also has three missed cuts. Add in the question of why a kid with a go-for-it edge didn't go for the par-5 15th in two Sunday afternoon at TPC Scottsdale -- Tom Pernice said it took guts and a calm head to layup; others thought differently -- and you realize he's just a guy out there taking it one day at a time.

Call it a learning curve and remember that everyone -- there remains just that one lone exception in Tiger Woods -- has one. Close one week, heading home early the next.

Sunday's finish in Scottsdale slid Fowler into this week's Honda Classic where he'll join into a big group of wow-factor kids -- Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim and Alex Prugh to name a few -- with a chance to win this week. It also vaulted him from 192nd in the Official World Golf Ranking to 77th. Another good week and he could be looking at the top 50 in the world, a spot in the World Golf Championships-CA Championship and ... well, an outside shot to make the field at Augusta.

Just pointing it out.

We're not saying anything Fowler doesn't already know -- that this is all in his hands. Something, quite frankly, he'll tell you.

The headlines call him flashy. Translation: edgy, fun and confident.

After all, he's a California kid who cut his teeth on dirt bikes, lists an Aston Martin One-77 as his favorite ride -- "without a doubt'' -- and looks up to motocross Hall of Famer Jeremy McGrath, who went from backyard biking to superstar. He's got that cool exterior on and off the course and he plays to the social media crowd with tweets, video blogs and even a podcast.

But when he met Greg Norman last fall? He was 20 at time and called him Mr. Norman.

And now? Fowler's poised to have a heck of a rookie year. To make an impact on the game and help put a little wow into the TOUR.

He and Ryo Ishikawa love color and aren't afraid to wear it. When they played with actor Chris O'Donnell at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in head-to-toe blue (Fowler) and green (Ishikawa), O'Donnell called the couture "Skittles outfits.'' If he'd known the dress code, he chuckled, he'd have traded his gray outfit for one in banana yellow.

Just don't expect that color punch every round. Or a daily dress-off with Ishikawa or Ian Poulter. Or a chance to win every week.

Instead, just pay attention -- to the good days and the not-so-good ones. Fowler does stand out and his on-weeks demand we take notice.

So enjoy the fun looks, the style and aggressive play and take a minute to check out his tweets. But keep it all in perspective.

He's still a kid. Enjoy what he brings to the game and wonder what the next decade might bring. Most of all, give this rookie a little time. He needs it.

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.