Tommy Fleetwood cites a moment when others raised eyebrows as being typical of an approach he will not change. The Englishman took dead aim at the pin on the famous 17th at Sawgrass as the Players Championship rumbled towards its conclusion last month but the bold move, as he sought to reel in Rory McIlroy, failed; Fleetwood’s ball found water. Yet as he prepares for his latest tilt at a major championship, this time the 83rd Masters, he made it clear he would never alter his style.

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“I didn’t think anything of it really,” Fleetwood said. “I was two behind with two to play and there was only one way I was ever going to get close. That was to go for it. It didn’t come off but I didn’t really think anything of it. People’s reaction was great really. I don’t know why people would expect me to play for the middle of the green if I had a chance of catching Rory.

“Maybe that’s my difference [from] some other people but I’m always going to play to win. Not that golf will ever define me as a person but I’m never going to look back on my career and say: ‘Oh, I finished third at the Players, that was a good week,’ or: ‘Oh, I finished top five at the Masters, I made a couple of nice pars to finish top five.’ That’s probably something I’ll never say to my kids or grandkids. That’s not something to be that proud of.

“Winning is what it’s all about, not for anything than to win tournaments and big tournaments. I want to win them, not from a financial standpoint of anything. It would just be nice to have on my résumé. Second or sixth or seventh makes a difference to your bank account but it won’t make a difference to how you see anything else.”

Fleetwood missed the cut here when making his debut in 2017. A share of 17th a year ago, plus continually impressive performances on both sides of the Atlantic, means he is widely tipped to feature come the closing stages on Sunday. “Overall, everything’s in really good shape,” the 28-year-old from Southport said. “I feel great being here this week. You really get a sense of the difference in how you feel from year one to year two to year three.

“Year one, it’s all so new, there’s so much to take in and it’s your first time here. Year two, you’ve been here already so you’re more comfortable with it and it just kind of progresses to the point where, I’m not at the Freddie Couples stage or anything like that but I’m getting a better understanding and feeling of the tournament and the course and what that involves.”

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A quirk of the world ranking system means Justin Rose returned to No 1 on Monday without having played in last week’s Texas Open. Rose is seeking to break with convention; the top-ranked player at the start of the Masters has won the Green Jacket only four times. On two of those occasions the person in question was Tiger Woods, the last of them in 2002. History, then, does not particularly favour Rose. “I feel like I haven’t had my run yet where I’ve sort of separated myself as the No 1 player in the world,” said Rose. “That’s a goal of mine, still.”

Woods and Couples partnered Justin Thomas for practice holes on Monday. Afterwards Thomas suggested the four-time winner’s competitive edge remains as formidable as ever when it comes to imparting wisdom about Augusta. “Tiger probably isn’t as – I mean I’m not trying to be mean – but isn’t as helpful I would say as Freddie,” Thomas said. “At this point he doesn’t quite give as much information. I’ve picked Tiger’s brain enough around this place that he’s probably told me everything he’s going to tell me.”