Royal Birkdale offers the best golfer on the planet not to win a Major the opportunity to finally achieve his dream in front of immense home support13:12, 14 Jul 2026Travelling to The Open by car, there is a good chance you will pass Southport and Birkdale Sports Club, an establishment rather less exclusive than the venue for this year’s Championship.‌And on the wall of that establishment - measuring 164 feet by 65 feet - is a giant mural of Tommy Fleetwood, Southport’s most famous sporting son. It features Fleetwood in winning Ryder Cup action and to the casual golf follower, that is probably the event they most associate him with.‌Of all the active golfers yet to win a Major, Tommy Fleetwood is arguably the most accomplished. Number nine in the world with eleven victories around the globe, Fleetwood won for the first time on the PGA Tour last year, a significant milestone.‌The only thing missing in his career is that Major. And in his home town, expectation for the 35-year-old is huge. Even in Liverpool, his image has been painted onto a huge lawn in the city centre as part of the area’s preparation for the 154th Open.But Fleetwood insists the immense home support and the wait for his first Major are not putting any extra pressure on him.He explains: “It's an absolute dream to play here in my hometown in front of people that are all here to support me. There are only positives really. I am the lucky one that gets to have home support and use that as like really, really positive fuel.‌“If I just go back to the original me being an 8-year-old kid, the thought of playing in an Open at Birkdale was unbelievably special. So if you're not going to enjoy it, then you've kind of let yourself down in that sense.”Fleetwood’s best finish at The Open came in 2019, when he was runner-up to Shane Lowry at Royal Portrush. And his best recent finish at a Major was a tie for third place at the 2024 Masters.‌He will play the first two rounds with Jordan Spieth, who won when the Open was last at Birkdale in 2017, and with Jon Rahm, who has a Masters and a US Open to his name.And Fleetwood would love to join them as Major winners, saying: “I think winning majors is kind of like the ultimate accolades in our sport. It's a difficult one. I don't think I want to sort of look towards the future and worry about or think that I have to win a major to feel fulfilled.“I would definitely much prefer to have a major or two or three on my resume by the time my career is over. Dreams do come true, we watch it all the time, but you'll never find out if yours will unless you chase it. Mine might come true - it might not.”Article continues belowAnd even if there is expectation and pressure on such a popular player, Fleetwood is determined to enjoy himself.He explains: “At the end of the day, as much as it means to me - and I would never play down how big it feels to play an Open at Birkdale and how amazing it would be to win an Open - but it is still a game of golf and people would dream of being in the situation I'm in. It's still important to remember that and enjoy it.”