2017 U.S. Open: Rickie Fowler’s coach asked him if he wanted to be a Kardashian or a golf pro

Rickie Fowler’s swing coach, Butch Harmon, minces no words in trying to motivate his star student to play the best golf he can.

If Rickie Fowler can hang on to capture his first major championship at this week’s U.S. Open, he might want to thank the Kardashians.

Major winners often give humble nods to those who encouraged them to reach the pinnacle of their careers. The names are legend in the world of sports:

Earl Woods — Tiger Woods’ father received well-deserved props from his son for mentoring and inspiring him to his record 1997 Masters victory and 13 other major titles.

Wayne Gretzky — The Great One has been instrumental in the success of the 2016 U.S. Open victor and his future son-in-law, Dustin Johnson.

Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal — After he won his first major, the 2017 Masters, Sergio Garcia paid tribute to the Spanish golfing legends.

Kim Kardashian.

What?!

Yep, in a round-about way, Kim and her sisters, the daughters of Robert Kardashian, could represent the spark that Fowler needed to ignite his run for the Open trophy. Or at least the mere comparison of the reality TV personalities — who are famous for being famous — to Fowler by his swing coach Butch Harmon may have been the kick in the pants golf’s social media superstar needed to shift his game into overdrive.

Harmon, who is not above trotting out the Kardashians in discussions about his prize pupil, has noted how he laid things out late last year for his four-time PGA Tour winning but major-less student.

“We had a big conversation at the end of the year last year, and he didn’t like it,” Harmon said on Sky Sports in April. “I said, ‘You gotta decide are you going to be a Kardashian or are you going to be a golf pro? You’re the king of social media, you’re all over these Snapchhats and all these things.’”

Whether Rickie was going to continue to keep up with the Kardashians or ready to move his game to the next level came up again this week, per Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte, who recounted a conversation with Harmon about his unique approach.

"He was trying to make the comparison to the Kardashians, someone who had gotten a lot of fame without doing much. This was his way of doing it,” Rosaforte said after Fowler shot a 7-under 65 to take the 18-hole lead at Erin Hills. “Yeah, it was blunt, but as Butch said, it motivated him to work harder.”

For sure it did, if results are any indication. Fowler is having one of his best seasons on tour, with a first-, second-, and third-place finish as well as a contending turn at the Masters and now at his national championship.

“Butch said, though, ‘people shouldn’t take this the wrong way,’” Rosaforte added. “‘I think he felt it was a little bit harsh but that’s what I was trying to do.

‘Rickie knows I’d do anything for him. I love the kid. I wasn’t trying to be mean,’” Rosaforte quoted Harmon as saying. “‘I was just trying to give him a comparison he could relate to and start playing the type of golf that he’s playing now.’”