Fleetwood ready to grab greatness and ditch his run as nearly man

World No 10 has the chance to turn victory drought into a career-defining moment

- Ewan Murray

The widespread euphoria that surrounded Rory McIlroy's Masters triumph served as the finest example of a moment when golf observers want a player to win. This, after all, is supposed to be a non-tribal environment aside from the weekend every two years when Europe face USA and people on either side of the ropes take leave of their senses.

Golf's next pursuit of the holy grail belongs to Tommy Fleetwood. Defeat from positions of strength at the Travelers and St Jude championships threw up an unwanted statistic. In 163 PGA Tour starts, Fleetwood is yet to emerge victorious. As striking as that raw number – Fleetwood's talent is such that one assumes he should have claimed a batch of trophies in the US – is the fact people are willing him to end his drought. Fleetwood is relatable, likable, popular. He also has no objection to the discussion presently whirling around him.

"I'm not going to feed you lies and say: 'Oh, in Memphis I thought I did everything great, or Travelers I didn't do anything wrong,' Fleetwood said. "Of course I got things wrong down the stretch and it didn't happen for me.