'Rory is potentially the next Tiger. Yeah, he's that good'

"He's got a great golf swing, great tempo and doesn't try to kill it or do anything unusual with the ball. I like his moxie; he's cocksure in the way he walks. You have to have a little swagger like that. He's a great kid – humble when he needs to be, confident when he needs to be confident. He'll have a great career, there's no question about that. He's way ahead of my pace when I won my first major and well ahead of my score." - Jack Nicklaus 18-time major winner

"I think he has probably the most talent I've ever seen from a golfer. Lovely to watch him play, such a fluid motion, and he hits it so far. He's got a great attitude on and off the course. A win like this will do wonders for his self-esteem. He'll be a tough force to reckon with. He's going to be high on confidence and he's already got the game to beat anyone." - Luke Donald, world No 1

"The way he handled himself after the Masters, it looked like his major was going to be around the corner. He put it behind him very quickly. I think the media took it a bit further and tried to find out why. And Rory just said, 'well, it happened', and got on with it." - Charl Schwartzel, Masters champion

"You can tell Rory has had this type of talent in him for some time now. To see him putting it together is pretty neat." - Phil Mickelson, four-time major champion

"What is he 22 years old? If you are gong to talk about someone challenging Jack Nicklaus's record then there's your man. Winning a major at that age with his talent? Rory would have 20 more years in the game, so probably 100 more majors in him where he could be competitive. It has a great chance." - Padraig Harrington, three-time major champion

"I first played with Rory in his first Dunhill links when he got his Tour card in 2007. I shot 68 and lost easily. I though this kid is pretty good. You hear rumours about good young players and I first head about Rory when he shot 61 at my home course of Portrush. This kid was something special and he's going on to prove it. He's potentially the next Tiger Woods. Will he achieve what Tiger was doing around 2000? Can he win as many majors as Tiger, 14 or whatever it is? Yeah, he's that good." - Graeme McDowell, former US Open champion

"He plays fantastic. He hits his drives so long. The way he plays golf, it's a different golf. It's close to perfect. I think, that the Americans struggle a little bit, since Tiger has been on a, how do you say, 'downer'." - Martin Kaymer, USPGA champion

"He has more talent in his little pinky, than I have in my whole body." - Brandt Snedeker, American professional.