Masters 2024: Rory McIlroy 'flattered' as Tiger Woods backs him to complete Grand Slam
The 88th Masters |
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Venue: Augusta National Dates:11-14 April |
Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on BBC Sounds and BBC Sport website of each round. Full details |
Rory McIlroy says it is "flattering" that Tiger Woods is backing him to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters.
The Northern Irishman won the US Open, The Open and two US PGA Championship titles between 2011-2014 but a victory at Augusta National has proved elusive.
The 34-year-old's best finish at the Masters came in 2022 when he finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler.
"I know I've got the potential to do it too," McIlroy said.
Speaking earlier on Tuesday, 15-time major champion Woods said McIlroy has what it takes to join him, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus in an exclusive group of players to have won all four majors.
"No question, he'll do it at some point," Woods said.
"Rory's too talented, too good. He's going to be playing this event for a very long time. He'll get it done. It's just a matter of when. I think that Rory will be a great Masters champion one day, and it could be this week.
"The talent that he has, the way he plays game, the golf course fits his eye, it's just a matter of time."
In reply, McIlroy said: "It's nice to hear, in my opinion, the best player ever to play the game say something like that.
"Does that mean that it's going to happen? Obviously not. But he's been around the game long enough to know that I at least have the potential to do it. It's not as if I haven't been a pretty good player for the past couple of decades."
McIlroy has not won a major championship since collecting the second of his two US PGA Championship titles at Valhalla, almost a decade ago.
Since then he has had nine attempts to win the Masters, with a stunning final round of 64 two years ago seeing him finish second, three shots behind Scheffler. However, that was sandwiched between two missed cuts.
