Rickie Fowler Says He Caught Bacterial Infection That Can Cause Diarrhea, Vomiting During Honeymoon
Rickie Fowler had a rough ending to his tropical honeymoon.
The 30-year-old golfing star — who exchanged vows with his sweetheart, Allison Stokke, in early October — told Golfweek that he caught Campylobacter jejuni, a common bacterial infection that can cause a series of uncomfortable stomach ailments.
“It was not a fun stretch,” Fowler told Golfweek reporter Steve DiMeglio.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Campylobacter causes about 1.3 million illnesses each year in the United States.
Campylobacter related illnesses typically clear on their own, but can sometimes require treatment, the CDC said. Symptoms of the infection include fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and, unfortunately, bouts of bloody diarrhea.
The bacterium typically enters the body through the consumption of raw or undercooked meat or eating something that came in contact with something that touched it. Someone can also get it from drinking contaminated water, touching animals or drinking unpasteurized milk.
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A big thanks to @puma for helping make our honeymoon possible!
A post shared by R I C K I E (@rickiefowler) on Oct 21, 2019 at 12:42pm PDT
Fowler said he is currently taking medicine to ward off the last bit of the infection, but the time he spent recovering has cost him time to prepare for the upcoming Mayakoba Golf Classic, which he was forced to withdraw from, he announced.
“I am taking medicine prescribed by my physician,” Fowler said, according to GolfWorld. “But am not at full strength yet. As a result, I am ill-prepared to compete next week.”
Fowler has placed second and tied for 16th at the event over the last two years, Golfweek reported.
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Fowler posted a picture from his beach wedding to Instagram on October 11, which showed the happy couple walking along the coast.
“Last week was the best yet… she’s mine,” he wrote. “Still winning.”
While he’ll miss out at Mayakoba, Fowler didn’t rule out playing in two weeks at the RSM Classic, the last PGA Tour event of the year.
