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Head Says Pick Koepka; Heart Says Pick McIlroy at British Open

By Kathlene Bissell

NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND - JULY 13: Rory Mcilroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the 11th hole during Day 3 of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 13, 2019 in North Berwick, United Kingdom. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND - JULY 13: Rory Mcilroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the 11th hole during Day 3 of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 13, 2019 in North Berwick, United Kingdom. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /
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There are a lot of contenders on the list of most likely to win The British Open. When it comes to the sensible pick, Brooks Koepka has to be top of mind. When it comes to the sentimental pick, it’s Rory McIlroy.

Brooks Koepka has been Tiger Woods-like at major championships since 2017. He’s won back-to-back U.S. Opens and back-to-back PGAs. That’s practically an unbelievable stat for any golfer because few golfers have won back-to-back tournaments, much less back-to-back majors. Then there is Rory McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy’s latest big victory was at The Players. Anybody who thinks that’s a walk in the park should try playing the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course four days in a row and then talk about how easy it is. Now in McIlroy’s favor, he has the near-home-course advantage. He grew up in Holywood, Northern Ireland, and played Portrush from time to time. When he was 16, he set a new course record there, posting a 61.

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Comparing the two, Koepka wins the numbers game in recent history.

He became the first to go back-to-back at the PGA since Woods in 2006 and 2007 and the first to go back-to-back at the U.S. Open since Curtis Strange in 1988 and 1989.

But he’s not the only golfer to go back-to-back at the PGA. Woods also did it in 1999 and 2000. Denny Shute won the PGA in 1936 and 1937; Leo Diegel, in 1928 and 1929; Gene Sarazen, in 1922 and 1923, and Jim Barnes in 1916 and 1919. ( There were no PGA Championships played during WWI.)

Of course, when it comes to the PGA, no one beats Walter Hagen’s four-in-a-row from 1924-1927 which was in the match-play era.

Regarding Koepka’s mark at the U.S. Open, there are also seven who have repeated there. Koepka won it in 2017 and 2018; Strange, in 1988 and 1989; Ben Hogan, 1950 and 1951; Ralph Guldahl, 1937 and 1938; Bobby Jones, 1992 and 1930; Johnny McDermott, 1911 and 1912. Of course, Willie Anderson remains the only golfer to win three-in-a-row, from 1903 to 1905.

Still, Koepka’s achievement of two back-to-back majors is the stuff of legends. Jack Nicklaus never repeated in the U.S. Open or the PGA. However, he and two others have gone back-to-back at the Masters. Nicklaus, Woods and Sir Nick Faldo have all double dipped. Nicklaus in 1965 and 1966, Faldo in 1988 and 1989, and Woods in 2001 and 2002.

While Rory McIlroy did not repeat any majors, he has won as many as Brooks Koepka. Both have won four. McIlroy has won two PGAs, the U.S. Open, and the British Open. But that’s where the similarity in records ends.

McIlroy’s also won 16 times on the PGA Tour and 13 times on the Euro tour. He’s won all the end of season awards in Europe and in the U.S. more than once, plus the Vardon Trophy for low scoring average, FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai. The only thing McIlroy hasn’t won is the Masters, and he’s well aware of that.

Koepka has less depth in the awards department, but if he keeps playing as he has recently, he’s sure to add some additional end of season hardware.

With Koepka, you get the picture. He’s a golf animal on fire. He’s big, bold, brawny and belts the ball a long way. It’s hard to bet against him at the British Open. He can drive a ball or iron a ball as long as he needs to, and he’s already demonstrated a clear head when it comes to playing majors. His ace in the hole may be his caddie who is from Portrush. He also played in Europe, so a foreign country isn’t foreign to him.

Surprisingly, McIlroy, belts the ball farther than Koepka, at least off the tee, according to the stats. He’s currently sitting in the No. 2 slot, just back of Cameron Champ. Koepka is 12th. McIlroy often plays with surgical precision, but even his surgical precision looks like he’s writing poetry on the grass. He has flair.

McIlroy knows the course in a way that few others do, save Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell, neither of whom are likely to win the British Open this week.

McIlroy will also have the fans on his side in a way that few others can expect.

dark. Next. British Open 2019: Power ranking the top ten golfers at Royal Portrush

So, head says pick Brooks Koepka. Heart says pick Rory McIlroy because he has the luck of the Irish on his side and because it’s often the intangibles that win golf tournaments. Which do you like?

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