Marcus Armitage is excited by the opportunity to win in front of home crowds as he goes in search of a second DP World Tour title at the 2022 Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett.
The Englishman, playing alongside tournament host Danny Willett, shot a third-round two under 70 at The Belfry to finish day three in a two-way share of second place at eight under and a place alongside tournament leader Thorbjørn Olesen in the final group on Sunday.
Armitage, 34, is relishing the chance to play in front of home crowds, in what is the first of nine DP World Tour events to be held in the United Kingdom in 2022.
And after winning his maiden Tour title at the Porsche European Open last year, he is determined to give himself every chance of a memorable win on the Brabazon Course.
“There is nothing better than [playing in front of] your home crowd,” Armitage said with a sell-out crowd for the final round.
“To win in front of your home crowd must be unbelievable. I would love to experience it.
“Maybe it will be tomorrow, maybe some time in the future but hopefully one day I will be able to experience winning in front of my home crowd.
“It is just different; we love golf in this country. You can just see it with the crowds. They are very knowledgeable about the game. It is just fantastic.”
Armitage missed the cut at the Catalunya Championship last week and revealed he was benefiting from not searching for shots at the four-time Ryder Cup venue.
“I have just been patient really,” added Armitage, whose best result of the season so far was tied fifth at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in March. “I have hit a lot of greens and played away from flags a lot, just played the patient game.
“I had a tough week last week at the Catalunya Championship. I have come here and just got back to basics with my golf swing, being patient and just trying to get the putter working.”
Armitage made his breakthrough on the Tour with victory at the Porsche European Open in Hamburg last year, closing with a seven-under 65 and that performance gives him confidence he can handle the pressure if he is with a chance down the stretch on Sunday.
He rolled in a 34-foot par putt on the 18th green to ensure he finished the day as the nearest challenger to Olesen, alongside halfway leader Hurly Long, and is hopeful he can yet produce his best on the greens come the final day.
“I will play the patient game again,” he said. “Hopefully the putter gets hot tomorrow, and I can make some putts and get up the leaderboard to have a chance with five or six holes to play.
“If I do get into that position and if with a shout, then I will have the confidence from the maiden win at the Porsche. I am looking forward to it, if it’s like today, hopefully I can hole a few putts like at the 18th and have a really good day.”
