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According to Data Golf, which measures performance across all tours, only three players are ranked higher than Fleetwood – defending champion Scottie Scheffler, McIlroy and world number three Fitzpatrick.<\/p>\n
The 31-year-old has won three times on the PGA Tour this year and shared third place on the links turf of the Renaissance Club at last week’s Scottish Open. <\/p>\n
“It’s another confidence booster to bring into this week,” Fitzpatrick told BBC Sport.<\/p>\n
“It’s the final major of the year, so you’re going to give it a good push.”<\/p>\n
The South Yorkshireman has used Birkdale on many occasions to hone links preparations for past Opens. But he admits to being unsure over what aspect of his game will be most vital this week.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“I think if you can give yourself opportunities to hit the greens, that’s going to be the most important thing.”<\/p>\n
English world number ones Lee Westwood and Luke Donald have come and gone from Opens without lifting golf’s most historic trophy. Rose is another to scale the top of the rankings but has not added a home major to his 2013 US Open victory.<\/p>\n
The 45-year-old comes full circle this week to the scene of his fourth placed finish as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998, which was capped by a sensational hole out for birdie at the last.<\/p>\n
Remarkably it then stood as his best Open performance for two decades before charging through the field to finish runner-up to Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018.<\/p>\n
Rose shared runner-up honours again two years ago and continues to challenge for golf’s biggest titles. Could this be the year? What a story it would be were he to emerge victorious.<\/p>\n
But what does it take to do that?<\/p>\n
Faldo puts it bluntly. “Guess the bottom line is\u2026I could keep my focus and nerve all four days to finish it off,” he messaged when I asked for the secret sauce.<\/p>\n
Those were characteristics Rai showed in abundance only last May to become the first Englishman win the US PGA in more than a century at Aronimink.<\/p>\n
Rai emulating Jim Barnes in 1919 proves Fleetwood correct, these longstanding records and anomalies can be broken.<\/p>\n
Excitingly, among the biggest obstacles to English success are fellow UK players because the likes of McIlroy and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre are also strong contenders.<\/p>\n
Englishmen Tyrrell Hatton and Alex Fitzpatrick are also capable of mounting strong challenges.<\/p>\n
So whisper it, while England’s semi-final reaching footballers are giving World Cup fans plenty to be excited about, here on Merseyside the country’s golfers might do something similar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n