Tommy Fleetwood not thinking about Open glory yet, but Claret Jug the one he's always dreamed of

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Tommy Fleetwood insists he’s not dreaming of the Claret Jug just yet, but admitted it’s the one trophy he’s always wanted.

The Southport golfer, who fell short at his home Open Championship at Royal Birkdale last year, shot an error free 65 to throw himself into contention at Carnoustie following a one-over opening round the day before.

The 27-year-old overcame what are expected to be the worst conditions of the weekend on the course where he holds the record (63) from last year’s Dunhill Links Championship, putting him in a prime position for the weekend, currently one back from 2015 champion Zach Johnson, the clubhouse leader.

Fleetwood has spoken of his desire to break American control of the majors, all four of which are held by golfers from across the pond, however, not since 1992 has an Englishman claimed the Claret Jug, and it’s something he’s certainly aiming for.

"It would be very special," Fleetwood said. "I can't lie about it. If I could pick one tournament in my life to win, it would be the Open. I've never been anywhere near before.

"We're only halfway through the tournament unfortunately. There's no point thinking about the end game. Thirty six holes is a long time.

Long wait | Nick Faldo was the last Englishman to win the Open, in 1992
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“Today's been a round where I've put myself back in the tournament and I've just got to move on from there really.

"If I can hit it like I did today, then obviously I'm going to have a lot of chances coming in over the weekend and we'll see where that takes me."

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