The Northern Irishman had to suffer and toil to end his 11-year major drought last year, finally achieving it at Augusta on his 17th attempt. His tireless work ethic, professionalism and commitment, even after so many years of disappointment, has prompted Woosnam to lavish praise on the Holywood star.

The 68-year-old Welshman said on the EU Legends Tour’s YouTube channel: “What I love about Rory is his dedication. You get up in the morning, to be that good for that long… To keep going to be that good for a lot longer is the dedication, and how much you’ve got to put in to be able to do the sacrifice you have to do that, which is incredible.

“If he keeps playing like that and he gets the right set of courses, he could get at least another two or three majors. I believe he could, yeah.”

Woosnam went on to boldly say of McIlroy: “He could quite easily be the best golfer from Britain and Europe.”

That is considerable praise given the calibre of other European golfing legends. Sir Nick Faldo won six majors and spent 97 weeks as world No. 1. McIlroy, meanwhile, has managed a total of 122 weeks at the top throughout his remarkable career – a milestone only surpassed by Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson.

Spaniard Seve Ballesteros is another name among the pantheon of great European players. He was one of the sport’s leading figures from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, winning five majors.