Joining the greatest at Augusta National
By Bill Felber
Approaching the top 10
Brooks Koepka is a four-time Major champion, so it should be no surprise that this formula already ranks him high among the game’s pantheon of greats. In fact Koepka enters the 2021 Major season standing 16th on the peak performance greatest list with a score of -2.04 standard deviations better than his competitors.
Considering only men, he is 12th, trailing only Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, James Braid, Tom Watson, Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Phil Mickelson and Ralph Guldahl.
Were Koepka to pick up his first Masters and his fifth major, perhaps with a showing about 2.50 standard deviations ahead of the average of his fellow competitors – that would be about normal for a Major champion – he could expect to improve his peak rating from its present -2.04 to about -2.09.
That would boost him four places, into 12th position, on the all-time list. He would pass Guldahl, LPGA great Mickey Wright, Mickelson and Hogan, a close within a percentage point of Snead for 11th place all time.
Jones and Hagen, both at -2.11, would hover just one more percentage point ahead of him. Were Koepka to win, the victory would position him to crack the game’s all-time top 10 with another strong showing during one of this summer’s ensuing Majors.
Considering men only, a Masters victory would be likely to elevate him into the all-time top 10 and revitalize consideration of him as an all-time top five candidate. Two years ago Koepka seemed solidly on course for top five status until injuries and the Covid-induced cancellation of the British Open slowed his climb.