'We go back a long way'

Tommy Fleetwood is not the only local hero in the field at The 154th Open.

In fact, there is a player five years his senior who arguably has an even tighter hold on that tag.

Matthew Baldwin describes himself as ‘Southport through and through’. He is a member at Royal Birkdale. By coming through Final Qualifying at Dundonald, he ensured he will complete the set in his native north-west, having previously played in The Open at both Royal Liverpool and Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The cherry on the top? He will get the Championship under way, holding the honour of hitting the first shot of The 154th Open. And there might just be more Baldwins than bunkers on the course when he does so.

“It is very exciting,” he said. “It is a great honour. It will be nerve wracking as well but it is something you dream of.

"I was a bit taken aback by it at first, to be honest, but then got into a bit of conversation (with R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon) and it was a nice one to have.

“My wife, my mum, my brother and sister, their children and all my close friends are going to be here, so it will be a busy time.”

The assumption will be that Baldwin’s local knowledge should give him an edge.

But the man himself is keen to point out that a combination of the well-publicised changes to the course and scorching Southport sunshine are giving the regulars something to think about too.

“There is going to be a bit of learning for me out there as it is a new set-up,” he said.

“I have never seen it play this quick so I will have to adapt to it a bit and see what it is like myself. But I know where I should and shouldn’t be hitting it.”

The links between Baldwin and Fleetwood go back a long way.

Fleetwood was just 13 when he made his debut for Lancashire’s men’s team alongside Baldwin, leaving the youngster star-struck.

And the warmth with which he spoke of his fellow Southport golfer in the build-up this week was unmistakable.

“Matt was arguably the best player in England at the time, and he was my foursomes partner,” Fleetwood said.

“Matt was somebody I looked up to a lot as a junior golfer, amateur golfer, a very good golfer in the area. I've known him for a long time.

“I was really rooting for him to qualify for The Open and I'm definitely not the only one that gets to enjoy a home Open.

“If anything, Matt is closer than me. He's a member here, and this is going to mean an awful lot to him.

“I really hope he has an amazing tournament. He has always been someone who was so great with me, a junior golfer that was a bit younger than him, and he was always willing to give me the time, give me advice or play golf with me if I wanted to.

“He is always somebody that I've held in very high esteem.”

Hearing those words meant a lot to Baldwin, who has watched on with pride during Fleetwood’s journey to becoming a PGA TOUR winner and Olympic silver medallist.

“Tommy has been a close friend of mine in golf since we were young,” he said. “For him to say the things he says is lovely.

“We played county golf together and in the early days as pros, we travelled together on the Challenge Tour and graduated on the same year.

“We had a nice journey together. Obviously his has gone on to be a world-class journey and I am proud of him.”

Nearly 800 places separate the two in the world rankings but come Thursday morning, they start as equals.

Baldwin’s place in the opening group gives him a chance to create some momentum. In 2023, not too far away from here, Royal Liverpool member Matthew Jordan did just that, carding a two-under-par 69 after hitting the first shot of The 151st Open and going on to finish inside the top 10.

Something similar this week for this proud son of Southport would go down very well indeed.