Tommy is relishing the Open

TOMMY Fleetwood is relishing a change i n expectations in next month’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, a course he used to sneak on to as a kid.

Playing in just the eighth Major championship of his career, Fleetwood finished fourth in the US Open at Erin Hills, five shots behind final-round playing partner Brooks Koepka.

The result lifted Fleetwood to a career-high 21st in the world rankings, he was 188th as recently as September 2016, and sets him up perfectly for a busy summer before his first child is born i n October.

U n s u r p r i s i n g l y, the Open on home soil is top of t he agenda f or t he 26-year-old from Southport, although he does not have as much local knowledge as might be expected.

“I don’t think I’ve got that much of an edge because I’ve not played the golf course enough,” said Everton fan Fleetwood, who got his hands on the Claret Jug at Goodison Park in April at a promotional event. “It was the one course we never got to play in the area.

“It was the forbidden fruit when I was younger. Me and my dad used to sneak on and hit a few shots and get off before anybody saw us. However, nobody knows about that.

“I’m sure there will be higher expectations now but that’s nice. It’s better than people expecting me to miss the cut.

“We’ll deal with that when we get there but it’s going to be a nice experience. You never k n ow, it might be overwhelming or it might be great.”

Tommy Fleetwood