Fleetwood has tamed this course once before and is keen to repeat the feat in one of golf’s biggest events

LIKE any golfer who grew up in a town with a course on the Open rota, Tommy Fleetwood dreamed of holding the Claret Jug aloft from the moment he first picked up a club. But what happened on the 18th hole at the US Open last month has stoked the fires.

After missing a shortish birdie putt on the 18th hole for what would have been the lowest score in the tournament’s long history (a round of 62), the 27-year-old from Southport wasn’t sure what to expect from New Yorkers perceived as too boozy and abusive in some quarters. What actually took place almost reduced the popular Englishman to tears.

‘Everyone in the packed grandstand stood as one and started applauding,’ said Fleetwood. ‘I suppose we’d been on a journey together as the round progressed and the excitement was building after I birdied four holes in a row from the 12th to close in on something potentially history-making. When I didn’t quite get there in the end, it was the nicest thing in the world to hear that reception, and it continued on the long walk to the clubhouse, as people stood and clapped.

‘The next two hours were so enjoyable as we waited to see if it would be good enough to win, and fair play to Brooks [Koepka] for beating me, he deserved it.

‘But has it motivated me to win one for myself? Oh God, yeah. It just makes you want to get out there and practise, and you long for the next major.’

The longing is over. Next stop, Carnoustie this week and a

daunting venue where Fleetwood just happens to be the course record holder, after shooting 63 in the Alfred Dunhill Links last October.

First, an encouraging health bulletin. Fleetwood pulled out of the Scottish Open last week citing the lingering effects of a virus, but he’s feeling fit and refreshed now, and the plan is to play his first practice round over the Angus links today.

‘In an ideal world I guess playing competitive golf on a links would help, but I just felt it would be more beneficial to recharge the batteries, and practise,’ he said. He has been doing that on some of the classic courses surrounding Royal Birkdale – not much more than a stone’s throw from where he grew up.

‘With the summer we’re having, they’re all a bit crispy at the minute, aren’t they?’ he said. ‘But it’s nice to feel the links turf again. I like Carnoustie, and the shots it demands. I know it will be set up much harder than at the Dunhill and I feel like my course record will be safe. But I’m really looking forward to preparing on a course where you already have a picture of the shots in your mind’s eye.’

Fleetwood is aware he will start among the favourites, but he is keen not to get carried away.

‘I think you have to be careful when you talk about expectations, because it can lead to you getting ahead of yourself and not playing well,’ he said. ‘I think it’s important for me to remember that when I finished fourth at the US Open last year, that was only the second time I’d ever made a cut in a major. At Birkdale last year, I made the cut for the first time at The Open, so you have to be realistic. But I’m pleased with the nice, steady progression I’m making in the majors. I know I’m not going in under the radar any more and that, as much as you’d like to, you can’t treat these big weeks the same as any other tournament.

‘You realise pretty quickly that you do feel different, and it’s about learning to deal with that. The more majors I play, the more I do feel they are suited to my game,’ he said. ‘The set-ups are generally tougher, and I do think that plays to my strengths.’