Austin Country Club's iconic 12th hole allowed Fowler to turn the first-day table on Rahm

Rickie Fowler, ranked No. 59 in the world, caught the momentum he needed Wednesday to defeat No. 2 Jon Rahm on the 12th hole at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play tournament.

No. 12, a 585-yard par 5 with water surrounding two sides of the back half of the fairway as well as the iconic Pennybacker Bridge, has been dubbed the Iron Bridge hole and is one of the most scenic at Austin Country Club. Even the ACC's website uses a backdrop of Pennybacker as seen from No. 12 for its home page image.

But it's also one of the ACC's trickiest holes. Professional golfers can hope for eagles or reasonable birdies, but No. 12's fairway is riddled with hills and fan observation areas on either side in addition to the water threat, causing most players to shoot for birdies or pars. But Fowler and Rahm both came out swinging.

From the tee box, Fowler shanked his ball to the left side of the fairway, between a rough and a hard place. Resting against a pedestrian walkway and an observation tent, the ball was close to aligned with a steep bunker on the right side of the green. In contrast, Rahm's drive landed perfect in the middle of the fairway, dead center to the green, setting himself up for a possible eagle or birdie to gain the advantage in a tied match.

Fowler — who's fighting to qualify for the Masters for the first time since 2021, and needs a good week in Austin to move into the top-50 rankings for an automatic invitation — must have heard the group of fans who were sitting against the ropes, betting against his new swing.

The bet? That both Fowler and Rahm would find the putting green.

With a limited range of motion, Fowler didn't quite make it, but drove the ball nearly 200 yards to sit less than 50 feet away from the hole in the fringe.

Three spectators handed $60 over to the better.