Butch Harmon has predicted that Rory McIlroy will win a major in 2022 after the Northern Irishman produced an outstanding final round to secure second place at the Masters.
McIlroy produced an eight-under-par 64 on Sunday at Augusta, producing some of his best golf to put the pressure on Scottie Scheffler.
The world number one held his nerve to claim his first major despite a four-putt at the last, with McIlroy his closest challenger three shots back.
It meant that the 32-year-old again missed out on the career grand slam with a green jacket still eluding the Northern Irishman.
But veteran coach Harmon, best known for his time alongside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, believes that McIlroy can use his fourth round performance as a springboard for success at the year’s remaining three major tournaments.
“I think this is going to do wonders for Rory McIlroy’s confidence,” Harmon predicted on Sky Sports.
“We all know the talent he has, we all know how good he is, but I think this is the thing that’s going to turn him around. This is going to give him the confidence.
“And I’m going to go out on a limb right now, I think Rory McIlroy is going to win a major - one of the next three, and I think this is going to be the reason that it happens.
“I think this is what Rory McIlroy needed. I don’t know where he’s been, I don’t know what’s been inside his head the last few years. I know what his talent is because he’s one of the best players that I think I’ve seen.
“This is going to propel him back to where we think he should be.”
Second place outright represented McIlroy’s best finish at a major since he claimed his second PGA Championship in 2014.
The next major on the schedule is the 2022 PGA at Southern Hills in Oklahoma, which begins on 19 May.
Victory at Augusta continued a remarkable run for Scheffler, who did not win his first PGA Tour event until February but has since triumphed in four of the last six tournaments.
Harmon thinks that the American has the temperament and the character to becoming a consistent winner, comparing him to both Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
“He [Scheffler] is an amazing young player, just 25-years-old, but just look at how he handled himself, through adversity and what he did well.
“You never saw any highs, you never saw any lows. His game speaks for itself. What he has done over the last couple of months is beyond, it’s Tiger-esque. He does it so calmy, so coolly, so relaxed.
“I take my hat off to him, it is unbelievable what this man has done. Three months ago, most of the golf world didn’t know who he was. They know who he is right now.
“Nothing gets this guy riled up. He reminds me of Jack Nicklaus. His coolness, his calmness. He never gets that excited, he just goes about his business. He is a 25-year-old journeyman, the way he plays.
“We all know Scottie Scheffler is the best player in the world right now, and he’s not stopping now. He’s going to go on and on, and guess what, the Grand Slam is on because he’s the only one that can win it.
“He’s run up the ladder pretty quickly, and if you think he’s at the top of the ladder now, you’re wrong. It’s a tall ladder and he’s going to keep climbing it. This guy’s amazing - what he has done and how quickly he has done it, this is the man right here. Now you know why he’s No 1 in the world.”
