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The inspiration comes in many forms. In the case of Brooks Koepka, the flea on his shoulder grows more and more as real and supposed affronts fuel his climb to the top of the golf course.
Four major championships in two years, a top-four ranking in each of the biggest tournaments of 2019 and a solid hold on the No. 1 ranking are the rewards that he deserves, as well as the praise that he has earned. he is receiving now.
The fact that he forgot a very obvious Tuesday will only add to this fire.
Despite all the slights endured by Koepka, whether through the media, fans or marketers, nothing is more motivating than the dissection he had on Tuesday with his peers.
To the surprise, Rory McIlroy won the PGA Tour's year-round player title for the 2018-19 season, earning this honor at a third player's vote.
Koepka, who won this honor last year by winning two major championships, failed to win despite the PGA title and his top-four finishes in the four major tournaments, including including two finalists.
"A little surprised, but very honored that my fellow players have thought enough of my year to give me that honor," said McIlroy, who, after winning the FedEx Cup at East Lake last month, said that he thought that his efforts would not stand up to those put forward by Koepka.
Admittedly, McIlroy, 30 years old, had an exceptional year, worthy of consideration. He won the championship of the players. He won the Canadian Open. And he won the Tour Championship for his second FedEx Cup title.
Three wins, as well as the lowest average hits on the PGA circuit this year and an impressive number of wins per lap, one of the best since the start of statistics in 2004, have only three times, each by Tiger Woods.
Then there is Koepka: he won the CJ Cup in Korea last fall. He won the PGA Championship in Bethpage. And he won the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Classic. He was ranked in the top four of all major leagues, a feat accomplished six times by four players.
Are players suggesting that McIlroy's season-long work goes beyond Koepka's, which caused the most damage in the major leagues?
McIlroy, still grasping the idea he had won, looked like he was trying to sell it when he said in a conference call on Tuesday: "I think that says a lot about what the players in the PGA Tour consider it important and I have heard of it a little during the year.
"I think players do not just think that four weeks a year is important, it's more than that, we play a lot more, why do we play 25 times a year if only four weeks are important?"
This is enough. Unless it's close, the big winners almost always win it. How could it be otherwise? These are the four biggest tournaments, and regardless of the size and stature of the players' championship, it is not counted among the four major tournaments.
And to win the title of player of the year without winning a major championship, you usually have to win more tournaments than the other player. Each player has gained three.
Break it down further.
Koepka finished ahead of McIlroy in the four major championships, which clearly disappointed Rory, who did not play any of those fights.
He also beat McIlroy in a duel in Memphis on Sunday to win the WGC-FedEx tournament. McIlroy brought Koepka back in a similar scenario to the Tour Championship, so does not that make them even there?
If the CJ Cup and Canadian wins cancel out, and even if you consider the players to be at the same level as the PGA, is not Koepka's performance on the four major tournaments a win?
"I thought maybe Brooks would win the PGA this year would be the deciding factor," McIlroy said.
In other words: only McIlroy's accountants and agents could consider his season better than Koepka's, and given the weight of the endorsement associated with the victory of a major player, maybe even that. They would not say it. Or, otherwise: if asked to change seasons, would Brooks prefer to have Rory?
Of course, the fact that the PGA tour does not disclose the vote totals does not help. Was it close? How many players voted? Has anyone voted for anyone other than McIlroy or Koepka? If a ranking system is used, Koepka may not even finish second on the ballot of a player?
The answers to these questions might tell us some things, namely that it was more of a popularity contest than a true most successful judge of the year.
The PGA Tour's lack of transparency can help him sell a bogus story, that winning the Players is as important as winning a major player (that's not the case) and that winning the FedEx Cup is a real way and significant to crown a champion of the season (not without some flaws).
If the vote was tight, would not it be a good thing to know?
And if not, is not this a bit of a charge of the system?
This is not meant to hit McIlroy, who has had a remarkable season, probably the best in terms of regularity. He missed two cups, started in 2019 with seven consecutive finals in the top 10 and 13 overall, and narrowed the gap at the top of the world rankings. He started eighth grade and ranked second behind Koepka.
But the truth is that he would rather have a fifth major and better acquitted himself of others.
If nothing else, it's a big debate – but Koepka will bite his nails and spit daggers as he looks for more glory in 2020.
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