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Rory McIlroy is preparing to resume a friendly rivalry in Sydney this week when world No.2 Adam Scott attempts to complete Australian golf's Triple Crown by winning the Australian Open.
The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland leads 33-year-old Scott in the statistic that matters most to them - major championship titles - by two to one.
But he believes the Australian is well-placed to improve his tally because of the circumstances surrounding his breakthrough win in the Masters in April.
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Scott rebounded from the horror show of making bogeys on the last four holes to let slip a four-shot lead in the 2012 British Open, winning the second major after it at Augusta National.
McIlroy bounced back from a final round meltdown when leading the 2011 Masters to triumph at the next major, the US Open.
"Adam is a special talent and for a long time he has been one of the best players in the world," said McIlroy, who also won the 2012 US PGA Championship.
"To win the Masters this year was a just reward for his disappointment in the 2012 Open Championship and I think everyone in the game was delighted for him.
"Without doubt the 2012 Open Championship was a huge learning curve for Adam and the experience has made him stronger which will stand to him for the rest of his career," he added.
"So in many ways it resembled my disappointment at the 2011 Masters and I've always looked back on that as a big positive in my career.
"You learn more from your mistakes sometimes, which we have both realised."
McIlroy was under no illusions about the difficulty of beating Scott in his current form, coming off back to back wins in the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Masters then a third behind countryman Jason Day at the World Cup of Golf on Sunday.
"Adam is playing great golf this year and with two victories this month alone he will be a force to reckon with in Sydney," McIlroy said.
"Having won the US Masters in April and Barclays Championship in August, it is fair to say that Adam is a tough opponent no matter where he plays so I'll expect him to be contending at Royal Sydney".
