Rickie Fowler, final round, Waste Management Phoenix Open (Chris McGrath/Getty Images North America)With a little more than 230 yards left for his second shot on the par five 15th hole during the fourth round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, 21 year-old Rickie Fowler decided to lay up.

The plan was to pitch it close and make birdie, the conservative way. One problem. The veteran move didn't pay off for Fowler, so now his manhood is called into question by the self-righteous Monday morning quarterbacks just as much is his bubblegum boy-wonder haircut and Puma apparel.

Perhaps it is time for a moratorium on the Fowler bashing as has been called for from other sources, both from a course management and an apparel perspective. Fowler is an exciting young player with a unique swing and charisma  to burn - which is exactly what the tour needs right now - but it is possible we want it too much, too quickly for him.

Fowler's round on Sunday should only be viewed as part of the maturation process all players must go through before they win.

As for Fowler's wardrobe choices, he and the people at Puma are giving golf fashion a much needed shot in the arm, providing even the most non-fashion conscious golf writers a little something extra to write about.

Chapeau Noir would certainly prefer to see Puma put Rickie in slimmer cut trousers rather than their current offerings, which are a bit too tent-like for a fit young man. Some of the extremely bold monochrome color choices are also a bit too much for some. 

All of this said, it is much easier to criticize those who take fashion risks than it is to dissect the great majority of tour players who prefer to be ensconced in conservatively cut, non-descript attire.

Without the Fowler's, Poulter's, and Villegas's of the world, blogs like this would have little of interest on which to write.