Gary Player believes Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy have the potential to develop a rivalry of a different type to the one he had with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
All three came up short at the Masters this month, with Spieth's quadruple bogey on the 12th hole of his final round denying the American a second straight wire-to-wire victory at Augusta.
That collapse handed triumph to England's Danny Willett, while Day and McIlroy each finished tied 10th.
The triumvirate had won five of the last six majors prior to Willett's success and Player thinks they are poised to dominate the sport like he, Nicklaus and Palmer - who won 34 majors between them - did across the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
When asked if the trio could develop a similar rivalry, Player told Laureus.com: "Yes, but it will be very different to the rivalry Arnold, Jack and I had. Arnold, Jack and I had a rivalry of travelling around the world.
"We travelled to all the countries of the world and played golf, and [coped with] the great difficulties.
"We didn't have our own private jets to do that, and we stayed in each other's homes, and they came to South Africa and went to the game reserve and came to my farm and we went down gold mines together. We had a friendship.
"And today, the golf game is a different game. It's a big business now, and so it's all done individually on individual terms, and it's a different time. But there certainly will be a rivalry amongst those.
"And, don't forget about Rickie Fowler and don't forget about others. You know, a champion suddenly springs out like a mushroom. So there are a host of others that could suddenly spring up. Don't forget Adam Scott."
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