St. Louis, Missouri ….

As one of the favourites for this week’s PGA Championship, Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood doesn’t have a great record in the Majors.

In fact, Fleetwood’s played a dozen majors since making his debut in the 2014 Open Championship and missed the cut in half including two of his three PGA Championship appearances.

But you look at Fleetwood’s peformances on the European and PGA Tour’s and that speaks another sory.

The current European No. 1 has this year contested a combined 20 events this won one, finished second in the U.S. Open, fourth in the Honda Classic and just last fortnight was sixth in the Canadian Open.

Look closer and what has hurt the 27-year this season is a downturn in form on Saturday’s including going from a share of fourth place heading to day three and posting a 78 at Shinnecock Hilles before brilliantly bouncing back with a 63 while last week in Akron, Fleetwood signed for a day three 74 that saw him finish T14 in the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational.

If you go back to earlier in the year, Fleetwood shot a 76 in the third round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and closer to home, he signed for a shock 77 on day three at the BMW PGA.

“It has seemed to happen on Saturdays, I mean, poor Saturdays, but without me feeling like I did too much wrong,” said Fleetwood.

“There’s no doubt about it. You notice it because Saturday has been a pretty bad day. But it’s nothing we’re like massively worried about.

“I’ve had a good run of putting myself in contention in a lot of events and a lot of the big events, and it just so far hasn’t happened,” he said.

“Sometimes golf is just like that, and it’s just a case of keep doing what you’re doing, and eventually it will happen.

“I feel like I’m close and closing in.

“It’s not something to worry about, but it’s just something that you do notice, and hopefully it doesn’t last for too long.  It has just been a couple of bad Saturdays. I felt like I didn’t do anything different.”

That aside, there’s no doubting Fleetwood’s capability this week to become only the second Englishman since Jim Barnes in 1916 and 1919 won the very first two PGA Championships and with David Lynn the last to go close albeit finishing eight shots behind Rory McIlroy in 2012 at Kiawah Island.

“You can go two ways in a major, either the course can absolutely destroy you if it’s not going your way or you can stick in, and you never know how it’s going to turn round,” said Fleetwood.

“I’ve had examples of that myself, say at the US Open this year. But the number one thing that stuck out really was how much he (Thomas) struggled in that first round, but stuck in, kept that belief and kept himself in the game and ended up winning a major.”

And now as a full PGA Tour card-carrying member, the four-time European Tour winner’s logical next victory step is Stateside and what better week to claim a break through U.S. soil success.

“Without a doubt, the next step in my career is to win in America,” he said. “I’ve put myself in contention in the majors. I feel like the tougher challenges, tougher courses, have suited me this year whilst I’ve been on my game.

“It’s a big change and something that takes you by surprise straight away.

“We finished nine holes and I mean, the atmosphere was almost like a Saturday of a tournament.

“It’s something that, for us, we’re definitely not used to. It’s busy from Monday all the way through. You’re basically playing a practice round like you’re in a final group on Sunday.”

Fleetwood tees-off at 7.04pm UK time Thursday in the company of Australia’s Marc Leishman and Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira.