Brooks Koepka has fired a shot at Rory McIlroy, denying they are rivals due to his lack of success in the Majors over the last five years.
McIlroy beat Koepka to the PGA Tour Player of the Year after winning the Fedex Cup and the Tour Championship, along with the Players Championship and the Canadian Open in 2019.
But Koepka, who won the PGA Championship, finished second at the US Open, T2 at The Masters and T4 at the Open, insists there is no real rivalry when it comes to the top events.
Koepka has levelled McIlroy’s Major success despite only being on the PGA for five years – with McIlroy’s last taste coming back in 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 ahead of his CJ Cup defence.
“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.
“Look I love Rory he’s a great player and he’s fun to watch, but it’s just hard to believe there’s a rivalry in golf. I just don’t see it.”
The comments come after McIlroy stoked the flames saying he was inspired to win the Tour Championship at East Lake after hearing Koepka say he wanted to be the dominant force in the sport.
“He (Koepka) talked about trying to be the dominant player in the game … and I thought: ‘He’s going to have to go through me first’,” said McIlroy.
“If that’s both of our mentalities going forward, I think that’s good for the game.”