Gary Lineker makes Rory McIlroy thoughts perfectly clear after Masters achievement

Gary Lineker has been lavishing praise upon in the wake of his "torturous" victory. And the legend shared an anecdote about a serendipitous meeting with the Northern Irish prodigy when he was still unknown to 's elite.

An avid golfer himself, was gripped along with millions of others as McIlroy triumphed over Justin Rose in a play-off to conquer his Masters curse on Sunday. And it was another golfing icon who facilitated Lineker's chance encounter with McIlroy many years ago. legend Lineker declared himself "a massive Rory fan" on The Rest Is Football podcast (via ), where co-host Micah Richards lauded the golfer for his more recent triumph. And the host reminisced about his days playing with champion Darren Clarke at Queenwood Golf Club in Surrey, where he first met a young and promising McIlroy.

"Many, many years ago, I used to play quite a lot with Darren Clarke, a great golfer himself," said Match of the Day host Lineker. "And he said, 'Can you play tomorrow?' I went, 'Yeah, yeah, I'm around.' And he said, 'I've got this young boy coming who's gonna be the next giant of golf!' I said, 'Really?' He went, 'Yeah, a 14-year-old.' So I get there, and it's Rory. Rory McIlroy.

"So I played with this kid. Oh, my god. This tiny little kid, 14, and he was just ripping it. He shot like 69 or something, from the back tees! So I've always followed his career subsequently, and he's had so many ups and downs. I think the whole nation was desperate for him to do it [win the Masters]."

The statistics certainly back up that assertion as Sky Sports reported Sunday's final round was the single . A peak audience of 1.85million viewers were glued to McIlroy's triumph at Augusta, with an impressive 37% of the UK's television audience tuning in at one point or another throughout the day.

"Imagine the pressure on him because 'It's the one that's missing,'" added Lineker. "And then you get people over the years saying, 'Aw, he's a choker.' Absolutely [not], they have no idea. No idea what it must be like to undergo that kind of pressure. And to come through all that, and with so many ups and downs on the final day.

"It was the most mesmerising, horrific, torturous watch that I've ever done. But in the end it was completely magnificently magical!"

Echoing those sentiments, Newcastle icon lauded the play-off finale as entertainment "at its very best." Furthermore, Lineker shared his experience of enduring the nail-biting event alongside his family, feeling every emotional surge caused by McIlroy's rollercoaster performance.

"Honestly, it was like somebody had lost their life on 13 [when McIlroy double-bogeyed]," he continued. "[Imitates pulling hair out] 'No, no! What've you done? You could've put it anywhere!' But at the end, it was like Leicester won the league again! We were all dancing around, all of us hugging and crying! It was beautiful watching."

The trio of former footballers also heaped deserved praise on runner-up Rose, with Shearer describing him as a "class act." Richards went a step further, declaring Rose his "favourite" at the tournament following a performance that could have been the biggest win of his career.

Before the tournament, Lineker expressed his support for McIlroy on Stephen Hendry's Cue Tips, saying he would "love him to win it" and admitting he's a "massive fan" of the star. And at the 17th time of asking, the 35-year-old finally won at Augusta to complete his set of major titles.

The connection between Lineker and McIlroy dates back around 20 years thanks to Darren Clarke. And that chance meeting gave Lineker rare insight on the golfer who would become arguably the greatest of his generation, which was all but confirmed when he pulled on the iconic green jacket.