Nope, Brooks Koepka wasn鈥檛 showing up Rory McIlroy when he told Agence France Press on the eve of the CJ Cup in South Korea that he doesn鈥檛 have a rival. True, he鈥檚 World Number One, with his buddy right next to him in the rankings. True, they both won three events in the 2018鈥19 season. And, true, they split the sport鈥檚 Player of the Year awards. Nonetheless, he鈥檚 in good position to contend that he鈥檚 really competing against, well, himself when he has a club in his hand. 鈥淚鈥檓 not looking at anybody behind me,鈥 he noted. 鈥淚鈥檝e got open road in front of me. I鈥檓 not looking in the rearview mirror, so I don鈥檛 see … a rivalry.鈥
Perhaps Koepka did tinge his statements with pride, which, given his stoic demeanor, could have been construed as an exercise in conceit. He certainly has the right to harp on his accomplishments, among them four major titles in the last three years. And while he may have bragged, however subtly, he did add context to his perspective. 鈥淵ou know, if the fans do [consider it a rivalry], then that鈥檚 on them and it could be fun,鈥 he said. 鈥淟ook, I love Rory. He鈥檚 a great player and he鈥檚 fun to watch, but it鈥檚 just hard to believe there鈥檚 a rivalry in golf. I just don鈥檛 see it.鈥
Creditably, McIlroy chose to look at the bright side and take Koepka鈥檚 pronouncements in stride. 鈥淲hat Brooks said wasn鈥檛 wrong,鈥 he argued on the occasion of The Challenge: Japan Skins yesterday. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been the best player in the world for the last couple of years. Four majors … I see where he鈥檚 coming from.鈥 And, no doubt, his perspective stems from their friendship. 鈥淚 love Brooks. He鈥檚 a great guy. He鈥檚 super competitive like we all are,鈥 he said, although he did acknowledge not needing to be reminded 鈥渢hat I haven鈥檛 won one [major] in a while.鈥
To be sure, both Koepka and McIlroy will view the inevitable public scrutiny as fuel for success. In this regard, they鈥檙e bound to push each other to greater heights. Greatness, after all, begets greatness. And whether they admit it or not, they鈥檙e rivals.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
