Brooks Koepka: Rivalry with Rory McIlroy could be just what golf needs

Brooks Koepka is dismissing the idea of a “rivalry” with Rory McIlroy, but that’s exactly what golf – and perhaps each of them – need to take it to the next level.

Brooks Koepka has gone from the “silent assassin” type to arguably the best quote in golf – and perhaps in almost all of sports – in the last year or two. It’s a breath of fresh air, and frankly, it’s the perfect thing for golf in the new generation. He’s not disrespectful, but he’s also not going to take any garbage from anyone. He’s confident, not cocky. So to borrow a line from Omar Little, you come at the king, you best not miss.

Of course, there’s an embarrassment of riches at the top of golf these days, particularly with the resurgence of one Rory McIlroy to his best form. Currently the top challenger to Koepka’s position atop the World Golf Ranking, the Ulsterman won three times on the PGA TOUR last year, as well as winning the FedEx Cup and the PGA TOUR Player of the Year award.

That last one was hotly debated, as Koepka defended his PGA Championship title for his fourth major championship. He also finished inside the top four in all of 2019’s majors, including runner-up efforts at the Masters and the U.S. Open (where he would have recorded the first three-peat since Willie Anderson in 1905). It’s hard to make the case that anybody can really step up to the throne that Koepka currently inhabits, but there’s plenty of competition not too far behind.

So when he was asked about a potentially budding rivalry with Rory McIlroy – who was at one time the player destined to take over from the Tiger Woods era – what did Koepka think? Not much, actually.

"“I’ve been out here for, what, five years,” Koepka said in Korea ahead of the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges. “Rory hasn’t won a major since I’ve been on the PGA TOUR. So I just don’t view it as a rivalry. I’m No. 1 in the world. I’ve got an open road in front of me. I’m not looking in the rear view mirror, so I don’t see it as a rivalry.”"

Well, don’t sugar coat it on our account there, B.K. To give credit where it’s due, Koepka didn’t just trash McIlroy (and literally everyone else behind him) for no reason. He went on to say that while he loves Rory and thinks he’s a fun player to watch – facts, y’all – he just “doesn’t see” a rivalry in golf.

There’s just a couple things he’s missing, if you ask me. First, rivalries are awesome, and they make all sports better. Think about it: the Yankees and the Red Sox; the Bruins and Canadiens; the Lakers and Celtics. These rivalries span decades, even generations, but they’re still something the players buy into at least to some degree, and everyone raises their game when these matchups come along.

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(Come to think of it, maybe it’s just a Boston thing?)

In golf, we don’t necessarily have those bitter rivalries, but often it comes down to a battle of styles. Early on, it was Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen in the amateur vs. pro battle. Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player are all legendary players in their own rights, but when they crossed paths to form the “Big Three”, it was magical.

As Nicklaus wound down in the 80s, a bespectacled star named Tom Watson aimed to take his throne. In the 90s we had Norman and Faldo. Then, Tiger Woods came along, keeping Phil Mickelson firmly in second place for the better part of a decade before things really took off.

Currently, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy are tied in major championship victories with four apiece, although McIlroy hasn’t won one since 2014, and Brooks has won them in bunches over the last three seasons. The story isn’t contrived, it’s real, and it doesn’t need to be bitter and personal.

McIlroy was objectively the best talent since Tiger took over, and he took a step back in recent years as the likes of Koepka (and Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas, and Dustin Johnson, and…) took over. He’s only a year older than the current world No. 1, and it’s not crazy to think they could take each other to a completely new level in the decade to come.

McIlroy is more ready to address the budding rivalry head-on. He has yet to make a response to Koepka’s latest comments, but he told Carson Daly that his mentality was “he has to go through me first”. So far, he has, but this game is more than two or three years.

Both players are capable of beating literally anybody on the planet when they’re on. If they push each other to be “on” every time the stakes are the highest – and maybe even when they aren’t – it’ll be better for both of their games, and by extension for all of us who are privileged to witness that kind of greatness. It’ll also bring out the best in the other contenders who won’t want to be lapped by the field, so to speak.

You think this talk of “Brooks Koepka vs. Rory McIlroy” might get DJ, Thomas and Spieth going a little harder? The list goes on: Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, and Tommy Fleetwood are coming up strong. Older stars like Justin Rose, Adam Scott, and even Tiger Woods are still out here handling business.

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Brooks Koepka is right about one thing: he’s on top of the golf world right now, and until someone comes and takes it from him, he can look at the rest of the world in whatever way makes him as successful as he wants to be. But Rory McIlroy has been on top of that hill before, and he knows exactly what it’ll take to get it back. If Koepka truly wants to bring his game to an untouchable level, he’ll recognize this as an opportunity that he doesn’t want to miss.

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