Britons eyeing home glory at 146th Open Championship

Lee Westwood believes his 'experience' can help him win a first-ever major while Justin Rose has said he has 'unfinished business' at The Open

As a 17-year-old amateur, Justin Rose finished tied-fourth at Royal Birkdale (Getty)

Royal Birkdale could not look more pristine than it did on Tuesday morning, with wispy clouds smeared thinly across the north-west’s blue skies.

Temporary stands line the fairways, bibbed men feverishly tend to the bunkers and television personnel make the final checks on the cables and equipment that will, come Sunday night, beam the image of the Claret Jug around the world, lifted aloft by its latest victor.

Royal Birkdale can make a fair claim to be the finest English course represented in the Open cycle. It lacks the soul-destroying bunkers of St Andrews, those that feel like you are trying to wedge out of the earth's mantle, but the wind whips in from the Irish Sea and the weather forecast this weekend appears to fall on the ominous side of bad.

Who that will suit is anyone's guess and, usually in this spot, it ends up being tee times that are more important to the overall standings than anything else.

But those used to playing under the steel-grey skies of Britain, staring down the drizzle, are all confident that supportive local crowds and some home comforts can help them to glory.

Lee Westwood, for his part, hopes his age – or, as he puts it, ‘experience’ – can also help bring him a first-ever major.

"I'm still hitting the ball as good as I always have," said Westwood, who was also a distant second to Louis Oosthuizen at St Andrews in 2010.

"I'm 44 and you think a little bit differently as you get older, but hopefully I can think a bit more wisely and use a bit of cunning and guile on the golf course.

Westwood is hoping to put his experience to good use (Getty)

"The US Open course (Erin Hills) was a bomber's style course where they had a big advantage, but this course brings a lot more players into it. The Open Championship always does with the weather and the way the golf course plays. You have to think your way around it."

As a 17-year-old amateur, Justin Rose finished tied-fourth at Royal Birkdale. That 1998 moment feels a lifetime ago but, painfully for the Briton, continues to be his best-ever result at his home major.

"It's disappointing," he said on Tuesday. "Maybe the expectation for a number of years afterwards took its toll coming back, trying to live up to it. I feel now, though, at this stage of my career I've sort of somewhat proved that that wasn't a flash in the pan, so I can come back to the Open a little freer than I could."

Three months on from losing the Masters in a play-off, the Olympic and former US Open champion is in his prime and wants to do something on home soil to remember for the rest of his life.


 Rose said he's proved he's more than just a flash in the pan 
 (Getty)

"There is unfinished business, for sure," he said. "I don't want to say that if I don't win this, it's going to be a huge sort of hole in my career. But it was the one tournament that even before I finished fourth here as an amateur, I got to final qualifying at the age of 14 and created a bit of a story then.”

But the biggest hope for those backing a British winner should be Rory McIlroy. While he, Dustin Johnson and Jason Day are often the safest of picks for a major, all three have missed their last two cuts as they suffered a joint slump in form.

McIlroy has two top-five finishes on his last two visits to Birkdale, though, and Rose is backing him to get over his injury problems to put on a show for the British crowd.

"The one thing about Rory is as soon as you question him, he'll do something special and turn it all around," Rose said.

"It's happened a few times in his career where people say he's in a bit of a slump and then he'll win the FedEx Cup. So never worry about him from that point of view."