It was a case of so near yet so far for Tommy Fleetwood last year but coach Graham Walker believes everything points to 2019 being the Southport man’s best season yet.

One half of a totemic Ryder Cup partnership with Francesco Molinari that is now etched in the golfing annals, Fleetwood also narrowly missed out on his first major at the US Open, shooting 63 to tie the championship record for a single round as he roared from behind to finish second.

Emulating those achievements this time around will undoubtedly be an uphill task for the 28-year-old, particularly with a strong field set to line up at The Open later this month.

But England Golf head coach Walker, who works with Fleetwood on his short game, insists the Sandgrounder’s voracious appetite for improvement means a maiden success is by no means out of the realms of possibility.

“You hate to say this incase it jinxs him, but he hasn’t missed a cut this year and he’s become much more consistent,” Walker said. 

“I quite like that sometimes there are ups and downs – you can be brilliant one week but not so much the next – but he’s become much more consistent in a lot of different areas.

“We would always say to him to play like he’s with a mate, when you’re nice and relaxed. It’s difficult to do under pressure.

“I think he’s very, very close again now. He has a straighter ball flight player now, he’s getting happier with his putting and he’s improving his putting.

“So, if he pieces it all together, he’ll be fine.”

This year’s Open at Royal Portrush affords Fleetwood a unique opportunity to win his first major on home soil later this month. Situated on the northernmost tip of Northern Ireland, the course offers its own unique challenges for players – not least because of the often turbulent weather.

Walker, though, is certain Fleetwood is perfectly primed to take on whatever comes his way after a meticulous build-up.

“He’ll need to adapt to the wind and the different types of conditions, but the other shot he’s got is the shot on the fringes, which he’s very good at,” Walker added.

“Some modern players now would rather chip than put from the fringe, but he’s very good at pace control and it’s one of his big tools.

“There will be a few different lies at Royal Portrush because they’re not always expansive bunkers. We’ll work on that as well.

“There’s no real special preparation but he’ll usually give me a piece of paper before training with the specific shots he wants to improve.

“We have a little saying: ‘train like a scientist and play like an artist’. If he could do that, it would be great.”