Tommy Fleetwood admits his Carnoustie course record may not count for much once the Open Championship begins on Thursday, but the Race to Dubai winner believes he is ready to challenge for a first Major title.
Fleetwood fired a 63 at Carnoustie in the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but conditions in mid-October were very different to the fast and fiery links set-up that will determine who wins the Claret Jug on Sunday.
Having finished a shot behind US Open champion Brooks Koepka after a stunning final round at Shinnecock Hills, Fleetwood is confident he was it takes to capture a Major Championship.
“Straight after the US Open, you want the Open to be straight away because you're on such a high,” he said.
“I know I didn't win, and that was disappointing coming that close and sitting and waiting.
“But I got a bit of time off, and again, it was more proof that I could finish the 72 holes up there - that close. One shy is a quarter of a shot a round, so it's not really much at the end of the day.
It doesn't do any harm to have a course record, but it's a completely different challenge to what we normally face - Tommy Fleetwood
“This week is just another test against the best players in the world in one of the biggest events, if not the biggest event, in world golf. So looking forward to it.
“There's no really good reason why I couldn't do it. It really doesn't matter what's happened in the past. The only thing they do is build your confidence and give you examples of what you can do, but at the end of the day, come Thursday, it's the Open Championship, and I've got to go out there and hit the golf shots and hole the putts.”
On the condition of Carnoustie that greeted him for practice this week, Fleetwood admitted that finding the fairways was going to be difficult.
“It is a completely different course,” he added.
“I played yesterday, just I've never played it this firm or fast. Shots that you've hit have literally no relevance for a lot of it.
“It was definitely apparent that the difficulties this week are probably going to be putting it in play and hitting it in the fairways and go from there.
“It doesn't do any harm to have played it for a few years. It doesn't do any harm to have a course record, but it's a completely different challenge to what we normally face.”
