Former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley is hopeful that major rivals will emerge to push Rory McIlroy on to even greater heights.

Twenty-five-year-old Northern Irishman McIlroy is the current world number one and heads to Augusta for the Masters hoping to complete a full set of major titles, a feat which has been achieved by only five players before him.

However, McGinley believes that greater competition from his fellow competitors could be just the thing to keep McIlroy fully focused for the years ahead.

He told Sky Sports: “A rival will be good for Rory… if Dustin Johnson steps up to the plate like some people are expecting him to, or Jordan Spieth, or Rickie Fowler.

“Some of those guys step up and win a major, that’ll only be good for him because Rory has reacted well to adversity and guys challenging him in the past.”

McIlroy is also hoping to make it three majors wins in a row at Augusta, having claimed both the Open Championship and the USPGA Championship during a superlative second half of 2014 which saw him emerge as the dominant force in the game.

He is also keen to erase the memory of a final-round collapse at the Masters in 2011, when he led by four shots going into the final round, only to shoot an 80 and finish way down in a tie for 15th place.

McIlroy is 7.00 to win the Masters, with new world number two Spieth at 11.00.