Brooks Koepka has opened up on how he enjoys going to toe-to-toe with fellow star Rory McIlroy, with the pair the two of the most succesful major champions of their generation.
Brooks Koepka recently shared that if he had to choose just one fellow professional golfer to play with for the rest of his career, he would choose Rory McIlroy.
Both Koepka and McIlroy are considered as top players in the modern era of professional golf, boasting a total of nine major titles between them. Koepka, with five major wins, has often faced McIlroy on the course, making their rivalry a memorable one for him.
In an interview with Golf.com, Koepka expressed his preference for playing alongside the Northern Irishman, stating, “Most people might not like this answer, but Rory, right?”
The healthy competition between Koepka and McIlroy has been a topic of discussion. Koepka, a five-time major winner, pointed out that he has one more major championship than McIlroy, although he believes McIlroy will soon catch up and reach five. This creates a sense of one-upmanship between them.
Despite being around the same age, with McIlroy being slightly older, Koepka acknowledges McIlroy’s exceptional skills and considers him one of the best players ever. Therefore, Koepka sees their rivalry as an opportunity to constantly strive for improvement and outperform each other. He aims to establish a significant lead in major championships before McIlroy can narrow the gap.
Interestingly, their rivalry has gained more attention off the golf course rather than on it in recent years. This shift occurred when Koepka joined the LIV Golf setup, while McIlroy remained loyal to the PGA Tour.
Despite his close friendship with Koepka, McIlroy has emerged as a prominent critic of the Saudi-backed league, LIV, and its competition with the PGA Tour. However, in a surprising turn of events, the four-time major champion has recently softened his stance on the breakaway league.
In light of this change, McIlroy’s former agent Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler speculates that the European Ryder Cup star may consider joining the lucrative league. Chandler suggested, “If you were to speculate, you might think he will sign a £750 million deal with LIV soon, given his recent shift in opinion towards the league.” He continued, “It’s uncertain whether he will make the move, but considering what other players like [Jon] Rahm have done, it’s a possibility.”
Assessing the likelihood of McIlroy transitioning to the Saudi-backed league, Chandler remarked, “I would say there’s a 10% chance he is leaning towards signing with LIV, but he understands that the ongoing conflicts and disagreements are detrimental to the sport of golf.”
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