Jordan Spieth is a three-time major winner and a household name, but it took Rory McIlroy a while to see his talents.

The two golfing superstars first came face-to-face at the 2013 Valero Texas Open, when McIlroy was a two-time major winner and Spieth was a highly-rated 19-year-old rookie.

McIlroy and Spieth have been competing against each other for 11 yearsGetty

By 2015, Spieth would also have two majors and rise to world no.1, challenging McIlroy for the crowd vacated by an injury-ravaged Tiger Woods.

However, on that first meeting, McIlroy did not consider Spieth to be a future star.

The Northern Irishman played alongside the Texan in San Antonio and watched as Spieth shot 72-76 and missed the cut.

“I remember the first time, I think I told you this, the first time I played with Jordan Spieth, 2013 San Antonio,” current world no.3 McIlroy told Normal Sport.

“And I played the first two days with him, and he missed the cut. And I’m like, ‘What is the big deal with this kid? Very average.’

“And he comes on and nearly wins the Grand Slam two years later.”

Like McIlroy, Spieth is one major away from completing the career Grand Slam, but success at golf’s most prestigious event has deserted him for years.

After a number of poor seasons, Spieth recently underwent surgery on a wrist injury.

McIlroy went on to explain that looks are not everything, given one player he considered ‘unbeatable’ never made it as a top-level professional.

“Philip Francis,” McIlroy said when asked to name a player who fell by the wayside.

Francis had an incredible amateur career but quit golf in 2015Getty

“He was from Scottsdale, Arizona. I finished second and third to him all of my teenage years. Like, you just could not beat this guy.

“He went to UCLA [University of California Los Angeles]. He won the U.S. Junior, I think. He won the U.S. Junior Am. And I thought this kid was unbeatable. That’s probably the biggest one, I think.”

Francis ended up finding happiness and success outside the world of golf after missing out on PGA Tour qualification by one shot in 2015.

The former golfer, who always had an interest in the financial world, moved to Chicago and started working in Bitcoin.

Speaking recently, Francis said: “I would love to potentially play some higher level of amateur golf again.

“I miss the competitive nature of being in the heat of the moment.”