That "next guy" to challenge Tiger and the other all-time greats is coming

[dcfas]

Agreed. If golf takes hold in some of these developing countries it will be a new era.

[anythingfinite]

Primarily because it's the truth. Rory was a wonder kid and exploded into the pro game, Brooks was mediocre at FSU and had to leave America to get his start on the Challenge Tour.

Rory is a naturally gifted golfer who struggles with being the guy to step on your neck in the heat of battle.

Brooks is a naturally gifted athlete who decided to play golf because he could do it for longer than football. He has the killer instinct but isn't as refined a golfer as Rory.

That being said, I love watching both of them play the game and really hope their "rivalry" blossoms.

[OrangeGravy]

For all of his faults, Reed is the only golfer out there now that I can think of off hand, that has that extreme mentality (not caring about public persona and such) combined with the ability to win a couple more majors if he's in form.

[bscinstnct]

 

If the statement was made about RM and BK in comparison to TW, it pretty true on the whole.

 

Rory has that a Tiger-esque quality to obliterate fields and golf courses and make the game look easy. But Rorys weakness was shown when he blew up in the Masters. And I’m just using the word “weakness” in comparison to the absurd strength that Tiger has. Tiger never blew a major for over 10 years. And his closing ratio in tournaments is absurd...

 

“16. Tiger has held the outright 54-hole lead 45 times in his PGA Tour career. He went on to win 43 of them, good for a 95.6 percent clip. For context - over the last three PGA Tour seasons, players with an outright 54-hole lead have gone on to win 39.7 percent of the time. 

15. Tiger has held the outright 36-hole lead 33 times in his Tour career. He went on to win 28 of them (84.8 percent). In comparison, Jack Nicklaus’ 36-hole outright conversion rate was 63 percent. “https://www.golfchannel.com/article/golf-central-blog/stats-incredible-tigers-40-greatest-numerical-records

 

As far as comparing BKs golf talent level to TW. That’s no fair either. Brooks doesn’t have all the shots in his “tool box” that TW 1.0 had. Nor does he have the physical and mental strength and stamina to win 7, 8, 9 times in a season.

 

Im sure BK would say the same. I mean, look at this...

 

“6. Tiger has won five straight PGA Tour starts three different times. Over the last 60 years, he is the only player to do it once.”

[Lark]

But what skill or talent does Rory have over Brooks? I don’t care at all about their junior golf record. Bob May was one of the best junior golfers ever. Meant nothing at the Tour level.

[anythingfinite]

If you read my post, you see I am talking about the pro level.

Rory came out and won quickly on the ET. Then fairly quickly on the PGA Tour.

Brooks had to go to the Challenge Tour and then was a faceless player on the PGA Tour until he won the US Open, which people still regarded as a fluke.

Rory's prodigious length is matched by his golf IQ and overall reverence and respect for the game. Brooks, while also long and skilled, isn't nearly as astute a golfer as Rory. Brooks is an athlete who is phenomenal at golf. Rory is a golfer.

Again, I am a HUGE of both. I love both of their games. But there exists an "eye-test" when it comes to talent and Rory passes with higher marks than Brooks.

[Hawkeye77]

Football was never on Koepka's radar. Baseball if anything, but he had committed to golf in middle school. There was no choice of golf vs. football.

[Lark]

What shots can Rory hit that Brooks can’t? Brooks has 4 majors so I don’t see how you can consider his first a fluke.

[BNGL]

Rory can control trajectory way better than Brooks does. Other than that I do think Rory is a better driver, I think he’s a better player around the greens although only slightly. On the greens I’d say it is a toss up, so for me it’s the control to change heights and shape is the big thing, Rory is just more precise to me having seen them both up close and played against them, Brooks a long time ago in minor league events in south Florida and Rory around Bears Club.

[anythingfinite]

Again, please read the comment. I said he was a mostly faceless player until that US Open win, which most people considered a fluke.

[Cwing]

Even more incredible is just how good the current generation is ........ and a healthy Tiger can not only compete with them, he can beat them.

[mcounci2]

The “next Tiger” is the Russel Westbrook, ODell Beckham Jr, LeBron, etc who decides to pick up a golf club at 3 years old and goes on to produce 200+mph ball speeds and can perform under pressure.

Tiger was a revolution in physicality, but golf still isn’t close to NFL/NBA in terms of bigger/faster/stronger. Think about that scratch golfer you play with occasionally....he’s almost playing the same game as the pros are. Not quite, but close. Think about that guy you play basketball with who is the ringer in your local game. He is NOT playing anything close to the same game that they play in the NBA. Adults don’t even play football, the comparison there is even more ridiculous.

The all timers in any sport are outliers- the only places left to have an outlier are in how hard the ball can be hit. Maybe a “technically perfect” Federer-type comes along and is 10% better than the field in fairways hit and GIR, and putting, but I think that’s more unlikely than a quantum leap in ball speed.

[bscinstnct]

 

TW took 2 full years off golf, in his 40s, then won the 2nd Masters he played in.

 

BK and Rory have played in 15 combined in their primes and won zero.

 

TW played in 10 Masters in his 20s and won 4.

 

Is like what BK say here at 7:50 seconds ; )

 

 

 

 

 

[Lark]

I think Brooks in majors is different than Brooks otherwise. His putting is excellent in the majors, much better than Rory. Both are outstanding with driver so it is splitting hairs to say one is better than the other. Brooks also has great touch around the greens in the majors. To me, his talent is the same as Rory, he just doesn’t focus as much in non-majors.

[Lark]

A healthy, back-fused, mid-40s Tiger still beats them. Tiger in his prime would dominate now as he did then.

[Lark]

The non-pro scratch golfers are not playing anywhere near the level of Tour pros. Put someone like that in a top Tour event and they wouldn’t come within 10 strokes of making the cut.

[cdnglf]

 

This is a silly discussion. Rory could retire tomorrow and 5 years from now he’d still be ahead of Brooks.

[Ferguson]

This guy.

 

 

 

 

 

[Lark]

Silly? You just assumed the future for the next 5 years. You know that Brooks will not win any more majors?

[BNGL]

id agree it is splitting hairs but I do think BKs nonchalance might come back to bite him a bit. But again to me having seen it up close and played with Rory a fair bit, he’s the best player on tour right now. He just is.

no scratch player is remotely close to a pga tour professional either

[cdnglf]

 

It is a silly discussion because they’re only a year apart in age and Rory is way, way ahead of Brooks. 11 more PGA Tour wins including the Players, 7 more Euro Tour wins, etc.

[Lark]

Ok, but in the last three years Brooks is way ahead of Rory. That is called trending. And the discussion is about their talent levels, not prior career stats.

[Lark]

Thanks for the insight. I think Rory is great and love watching him play. My comments were solely about talent level, not who is overall better.

[cdnglf]

What you’re doing is called cherry-picking.

[mcounci2]

Much closer than any recreational basketball/football player is to the NBA/NFL. I realize it's not even a contest in any of these sports.

[mcounci2]

Right, but they'd still be playing golf. Put a really good amateur basketball or football player in an NBA or NFL game and they'd look even sillier. That's the point I'm trying to make here. There are levels of athleticism and physicality that golf isn't even sniffing.

[Lark]

It's not anywhere close in any of these sports. It's not even at a level that you could compare.

[ChrisL52188]

I fully agree. The comparison between a club championship player who can be pretty good nind you compared to a PGA tour pro is absolutely night and day. The zero handicap player wouldn't even come close to them on a given day.

[ChrisL52188]

How does Jeff Knox do at the Masters compared to the pros?

[mcounci2]

You literally can compare it in golf. I could go play the US Open, and we'd have a pretty objective view of how close to Tiger I am. I cannot set foot on an NFL field. I would have to be carted off after one play with a broken everything.