No European player has won the Masters since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999, a statistic which Martin Kaymer has never looked like ending.

But the US Open champion believes he now has the game to compete at Augusta National and perhaps complete the third leg of the career grand slam.

"I never thought I had no chance, but in the past it was a very very tiny chance," said Kaymer, who missed the cut in his first four appearances and has a best finish of 31st last year.

" I played the golf course different. I never hit an 8?iron or 7?iron into 10. I always hit a 4?iron or 3?iron because I couldn't get it down on the bottom (of the hill).

"On 13, there was no chance for me to get the second shot on the green. I needed a lot of luck. N ow it's a lot different. On certain tee shots that I didn't really fancy in the past, I can make it work. At least I have an option.

"It gives you a relief that you actually can compete with the others now, and it's not as frustrating as it used to be for me."

Prompted partly by his fourth straight missed cut at Augusta in 2011, Kaymer began working on his swing to enable him to hit a draw as well as his usual fade - a process which meant he slid gradually down the world rankings.

By the time of the Ryder Cup in September 2012, the 30-year-old admitted he would not have picked himself for the team, but having clung on to the last automatic qualifying place he had no choice and famously ended up holing the putt which ensured Europe retained the trophy in the 'Miracle at Medinah.'

Kaymer endured a winless 2013 but made amends last year, securing wire-to-wire victories in both the Players Championship and US Open to add to his first major title in the 2010 US PGA.

That means the German is halfway to the career grand slam, but he acknowledges a certain Ryder Cup team-mate and world number one is a significant step closer.

"Well, halfway sounds close, but it's still far away," he joked. " Rory (McIlroy) is a lot closer than me. I wish him the best. I hope he can do it. If he doesn't do it this week, I hope he's going to do it in his career. I think it will complete you more as a player.

"For myself, I just hope that I have the chance one day to win the Open and to win the Masters. You can't really predict the outcome but you can work for it to have a chance. And in order to be successful, you just need the chance and you need to be prepared.

"It would be nice if those two things can happen. I know that I'm going to be prepared, but the chance I need."

To that end, Kaymer takes every opportunity to learn from double Masters champion Bernhard Langer - who finished eighth last year at the age of 56 - including during Monday's practice round.

And apart from specific advice on how to play the course, Kaymer also seeks off-course advice too from the former Ryder Cup captain.

"He's so good on the golf course, so I think he's very happy off the golf course," Kaymer added. "So I ask him a lot of questions about different stuff that has something to do with golf, but not playing or the strategy of the golf course and stuff.

"H e's very experienced and the way he does things, they are very much the way I want to do things. We are very similar in that category. And because of his experience, I believe that is the most valuable thing you can give to someone. He's always very open about it. He never holds anything back."