Rory McIlroy has been backed to finally end his Masters hoodoo and complete a career Grand Slam by triumphing at Augusta next month.
Former English golfer Nick Dougherty says the Northern Irishman has the quality to leave world No 1 Scottie Scheffler 'behind'.
McIlroy has had a disappointing few months on the PGA Tour since he won the Dubai Desert Classic in January.
The 34-year-old has failed to finish any higher than tied-19th in the five tournaments he has entered since, fading away after a positive start at The Players Championship last time out.
Rory McIlroy has been backed to leave Scottie Scheffler 'behind' if he wins the Masters
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McIlroy has not won a major tournament in 10 years and has a difficult relationship with the Masters.
He famously fell apart in the final round in 2011 and has been unable to conquer the Augusta course since.
But Dougherty is backing McIlroy to put his poor recent form behind him and can see him finally getting his hands on the green jacket.
He told Sky Sports News: "Expect Rory McIlroy to try and rebound. We know the huge narrative at the Masters as there always is, certainly from a British and Irish interest, is can he be the next guy to win the career Grand Slam and win all four majors?
"I always back him, I always end up being disappointed at the end of that endeavour.
"But I'm going again, I'm going again. He has the game, his form isn't necessarily where he'd want it coming into this year's Masters.
"But we know what he's capable of and to be fair, of all the majors, it's probably the one he should have won first.
"He let it slip by in 2011, maybe this is the year for him."
Scheffler has been in the form of his life in the last month, winning both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players.
The 27-year-old will be returning to the venue of his only major win so far having won the Masters in 2022.
But despite his dominance on the tour, Dougherty believes McIlroy can leave Scheffler in his wake if he hits top form.
Dougherty says McIlroy also has 'the edge' over both Scheffler and Jon Rahm if he can eradicate mistakes from his game.
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Scottie Scheffler has been in the form of his life in recent weeks
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He added: "The thing is he's a front-foot player because he's good when he's on the attack.
"He has more come-from-behind wins than any other player in the modern-day generation.
"It's because he's great when he puts the foot flat down and goes for it.
"He does make more mistakes than most. He certainly makes more mistakes than Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm.
Rory McIlroy has struggled since winning the Dubai Desert Classic in January
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"But the one thing in his favour is that when Rory is in full flow and he is at his very best, I still think he has the edge on those players.
"It's more for him about if he can limit some of the mistakes he makes on occasion, the good stuff is more than good enough to carry him across the line.
"Not just him winning the green jacket and becoming a guy who's won all four major championships in the men's game, but also going on to be a standout player in the generation and leaving behind Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm."
