Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy are two of today's best golfers, and they have plenty of accolades to prove it. They'll duke it out again this year in all the Major tournaments, but Eddie Pepperell believes there's no question which golfer has had the better career thus far.
He said via Golf Magic:
"I'll take you up on that comment. I wouldn't choose Brooks' careers over Rory's at any point at this point. I think Rory could have one less major and I'd still choose Rory's career over Brooks'."
Pepperell believes that McIlroy has simply proven himself to be more well-rounded than his LIV Golf counterpart. He lauded McIlroy's ability to play well at any point in the season on any course.
He continued:
"He's won numerous FedEx Cups et cetera. I think Rory's career is second to none at this point. Golf isn't just about the Majors, I mean, there are order of merits, FedEx Cups and all sorts of things to think about [like] the World Golf Championships.
When comparing the two careers, Pepperell would simply disagree with Koepka's being better. They are among the best to ever play, but it's not much of a discussion as far as Pepperell is concerned.
Eddie Pepperell likes Rory McIlroy's Masters chances
It is Masters week for everyone in golf, whether it be those on LIV Golf, PGA Tour or DP World Tour. That means it is yet another chance for Rory McIlroy to complete the career grand slam and earn his first ever green jacket.
He's been chasing this for almost a decade, and he's come close but hasn't been able to get over the hump. Eddie Pepperell believes he's in line for a good week, which could lead to that elusive victory.
He said (via Golf Magic):
"I've just looked at his stats, his approach play is good. He's working on something different [with Butch], we're not talking about him [and] I wouldn't be surprised if Rory has a good one. I'm not saying he's going to win but he is definitely one to look out for."
Pepperell noted that McIlroy's iron play has been trending in the right direction, believing that to be a good sign for his overall prospects. He continued:
"I think the hard thing for Rory is, if he's on his game, he's not going to play boring golf because he's capable of birdieing more holes than anyone else and he's capable of shooting seven or eight under par at Augusta. "
Pepperell advised the Ryder Cup star to play in a way that feels natural. He thinks the golfer has often taken shots that just don't line up with his game, risks that have backfired and that should be avoided at Augusta National.
McIlroy has the second-best odds to win the Masters, just behind Scottie Scheffler and just ahead of the defending champion Jon Rahm. It will take a supreme effort to finally do what most golfers haven't done in winning each individual Major.
