Local Hope Tommy Fleetwood Eyes Historic Open Win
Tommy Fleetwood grew up near Royal Birkdale and has admitted to sneaking on to play a couple of times as a child.
While it is well known how long it has been since England won football's World Cup, it is equally notable that a similarly lengthy period has passed since an English golfer won The Open Championship held in England.
Tony Jacklin was the last Englishman to lift the Claret Jug on home soil at Royal Lytham in 1969, just three years after Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy at Wembley.
Since then, Sir Nick Faldo remains the only English winner of The Open, with all three of his victories (1987, 1990, and 1992) occurring in Scotland.
Scottish golfers Sandy Lyle (1985) and Paul Lawrie (1999) have also won, alongside Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, who claimed the title at Hoylake in 2014.
However, an English winner in England is overdue, and this week's championship at the dry fairways of Royal Birkdale presents one of the best chances for this drought to end.
Sheffield's Matt Fitzpatrick has won more PGA Tour tournaments this year than anyone else. Tommy Fleetwood is a world-class local hero. Veteran Justin Rose returns to where his career began, and Wolverhampton's Aaron Rai has already demonstrated major-winning form this year.
The Open Championship Tee-Times and Related News
Details on rounds one and two tee-times are available, along with news of Last Chance Qualifier Dean securing the final Open spot. Additionally, concerns have been raised about gambling contributing to abuse of golfers, as noted by Fitzpatrick.
Winning an Open at Birkdale 'the ultimate'
Fleetwood acknowledges the rarity of English success on home soil as an extraordinary sporting anomaly.
"I think so because we've had a lot of good golfers over the years," the world number nine told .
"We've had plenty of guys who've been close, but all runs have to come to an end some time," he added with a smile.
Fleetwood's form this year has been solid rather than spectacular, but the return of The Open to Southport for the 11th time has long been marked in his diary.
The idea of winning his first major title near where he grew up is compelling.
"Playing an Open at Birkdale is something that is always going to be very, very special and sit on a pedestal for anybody from Southport," Fleetwood said.
"I'd probably take that and not hit another golf shot.
"I'd take that very happily. That's the ultimate, right? That's like Mount Everest, you know, winning an Open at Birkdale.
"I'm fully aware of just being here, at an Open at Birkdale when I was an eight-year-old kid. And there are going to be thousands of kids here this week with that dream of just having the opportunity to play in an Open.
"I can't forget that and I can't forget to enjoy that."
In 2017, when the event was last played at this renowned links on the Merseyside coast, Fleetwood made the Open cut for the first time after a nervous start.
Two years later, he was runner-up to Shane Lowry at Royal Portrush, followed by a joint fourth place at St Andrews in 2022, and another top-10 finish after a strong start at Hoylake, cheered by many locals from northwest England.
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The secret sauce to winning an Open?
Data Golf, which measures performance across all tours, ranks only three players higher than Fleetwood: defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and world number three Matt Fitzpatrick.
The 31-year-old Fitzpatrick has won three times on the PGA Tour this year and shared third place at last week's Scottish Open held at the Renaissance Club.
"It's another confidence booster to bring into this week," Fitzpatrick told .
"It's the final major of the year, so you're going to give it a good push."
The South Yorkshireman has used Birkdale frequently to prepare for links golf but is uncertain which aspect of his game will be most critical this week.
"I've played the golf course a lot, but I can't put my finger on what necessarily is needed," said the 2022 US Open winner.
"I feel like the fairways this year look a little bit tighter than most links golf courses. And I think for me, that's probably going to play the biggest part into it.
"I think if you can give yourself opportunities to hit the greens, that's going to be the most important thing."
English world number ones Lee Westwood and Luke Donald have competed in Opens without winning golf's most historic trophy. Justin Rose, another former world number one, has yet to add a home major to his 2013 US Open victory.
The 45-year-old Rose returns this week to the site of his fourth-place finish as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998, which included a remarkable hole-out for birdie on the last hole.
That remained his best Open performance for two decades before he surged through the field to finish runner-up to Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018.
Rose shared runner-up honors again two years ago and continues to contend for golf's biggest titles. This year could be his moment, creating a compelling narrative if he emerges victorious.
When asked what it takes to win, Faldo was candid.
"Guess the bottom line is3I could keep my focus and nerve all four days to finish it off," he messaged.
These are qualities Aaron Rai demonstrated in abundance last May when he became the first Englishman to win the US PGA in over a century at Aronimink.
Rai's achievement, echoing Jim Barnes in 1919, supports Fleetwood's assertion that longstanding records and anomalies can be broken.
Among the biggest challenges to English success are fellow UK players, with Rory McIlroy and Scotland's Robert MacIntyre also strong contenders.
Englishmen Tyrrell Hatton and Alex Fitzpatrick are also capable of mounting significant challenges.
Thus, while England's footballers have reached the World Cup semi-finals, generating excitement for fans, the country's golfers may similarly deliver a memorable performance here on Merseyside.
