Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka are among the favourites to lift the Wannamaker Trophy at Valhalla this week with both men heading into the PGA Championship at the top of their games.
McIlroy has put together back-to-back victories on the PGA Tour, winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with teammate Shane Lowry before a dominant display on Sunday to romp clear of Xander Schauffele and win the Wells Fargo Championship for a fourth time.
Koepka, meanwhile, also arrives in Kentucky fresh off a win, cruising to victory at LIV Golf Singapore. And with his knack for producing his best form at the majors, he is certainly among the small group of players with a reasonable chance of toppling world number one Scottie Scheffler at Valhalla.
The prospect of McIlroy and Koepka going toe to toe with a major on the line is a thrilling prospect, and the pair have plenty of history, built on a foundation of a strong friendship despite their differences.
On course rivalry
Koepka made headlines in 2019 with some brutal comments when asked if he considered himself in a rivalry with McIlroy, who has not won a major since 2014. “I’ve been out here for, what, five years. Rory hasn’t won a major since I’ve been on the PGA Tour. So I just don’t view it as a rivalry,” Koepka said.
“I’m not looking at anybody behind me. I’m number one in the world. I’ve got open road in front of me I’m not looking in the rearview mirror, so I don’t see it as a rivalry. You know if the fans do [call it a rivalry], then that’s on them and it could be fun.”
McIlroy did not put up a fight in response. “I love Brooks, he’s a great guy,” he said. “Obviously, [he is] super competitive, like we all are. I guess I can see where he’s coming from. I think if you take what Brooks said out of context then it can become this big thing that it’s become. But Brooks and I are good, we’re good friends.”
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Brooks Koepka won a fifth major championship at the 2023 PGA Championship.
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However, in an interview with Golf.com in February, Koepka admitted he is desperate to stay ahead of McIlroy in the major championship count, with the American bagging his fifth major at Oak Hill last year.
“Most people probably hate this anser, but Rory,” Koepka said. “I feel like maybe — divulging a lot. There’s a competition. Maybe he’s that way or not, but I’ve got to get one more [major] than him. He will get to five soon, and it’s like a one-up thing… I want to try to be better than him because I think he’s arguably one of the best players ever, so it’s trying to one-up — that’s how it feels anyways.”
Huge respect despite LIV differences
Koepka and McIlroy have been on opposite sides of the LIV Golf saga, with the Northern Irishman staying loyal to the PGA Tour and – in the early days of the split, at least – slamming those who jumped ship to the breakaway league, including Koepka.
However, McIlroy insists golf’s civil war has not affected his relationship with Koepka. “It’s a very nuanced situation and there’s different dynamics,” McIlroy said. “It’s OK to get on with Brooks and DJ [Dustin Johnson] and maybe not get on with some other guys that went to it.”
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McIlroy and Koepka live close to each other in Florida and the latter gave an insight into his friendship. “Yeah, Rory’s a good dude,” he said. “We’ve had some good talks. We get some good laughs out of it because everybody just — all the stuff going on in golf, sometimes you just have to sit there and laugh. The funny thing is, we’ll do that when nobody’s around.
“If I want to talk to somebody there’s a range at Grove [XXIII, their course in South Florida] and I know there’s nobody else back there, and me and Rory are back there, and I’ve got something I want to say or he’s got something he wants to say to me he’ll pop over and we’ll talk.”
The respect between the pair was on display at Oak Hill 12 months ago when Koepka won his third PGA Championship. McIlroy, who finished tied for seventh, spotted Koepka in the car park after making his way off the 18th hole and shouted “Brooks! Brooks!” before meeting for an embrace, with McIlroy saying: “I am really happy for you.” Koepka replied: “I’ll give you a shout, man.”
