The 68-year-old British golfer got to witness the then-up-and-coming sportsman firsthand in the 1997 Masters, and while Tiger went on to claim victory in the tournament, Nick wasn’t overly impressed when they played together in the first round.

He recalled to Today’s Golfer magazine: “I witnessed as close hand a big transition in the game when I played with Tiger in the first round at Augusta in 1997.

“Tigermania was just getting going and I was as interested as anybody to see him play.

“We both went out in 40 – four-over – and I remember thinking, ‘What’s all the fuss about? He’s playing as badly as me!’ “

However, it didn’t take long for Tiger to turn his game around and Nick was in awe of his prowess.

He continued: “Then he came back in 30, and from then on we didn’t see him for dust.

“Tiger was similar to Jack Niklaus in that he could make things happen.

“If a shot had to be pulled off a little bit better, he could do that -at the right time.

“He had that amazing striking strength to hit the ball crisper and with more spin.

“He’s the greatest clutch putter inside 10-feet we’ve ever seen, and his scrambling for years was amazing.”