PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Based on his performance in the biggest events the past few years, Englishman Tommy Fleetwood has been a player many have expected to break through and win a major championship. But he’s yet to break through.

Fleetwood finished runner-up at the 2018 U.S. Open and was fourth the year before, raising expectations.

“You can’t really force four tournaments a year,’’ Fleetwood said Monday. “You can prepare as well as you possibly can and then you have to play well in those weeks. I haven’t really been close this year, but I’ve played some consistent stuff in other events.’’

Indeed, Fleetwood has a tie for third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a tie for fifth at the Players Championship this season.

“You look at the year: I’ve had two or three opportunities to win, and some of them were big events like the Players or Bay Hill,’’ he said. “If [I] knock one of those off, the year looks so, so different. People always look at majors, I guess, and look at those performances, which haven’t been that great. But I’ve had two such amazing years. This one’s just been a little bit calmer and a little bit slower. If this is the worst I ever do, then I’ll be just fine for the next few years.

“I’m 28,’’ he went on. “Your career is a long time. We’re not tennis players or football players. At the moment, I’m just about reaching what should be my peak year. We’ll see what happens. But putting the urgency or putting too much pressure on yourself is not going to do yourself any favors. Just keep doing things as well as you possibly can. And hopefully, one, two, three majors, hopefully at least one comes along.’’

Asked if he’s felt the weight of expectation, Fleetwood said, “Expectation is a good thing. I think it shows you’re doing a lot of good stuff. Clearly, I’d rather it to be that way than people expecting it to be the other way.’’

One person of note in the golf world is not bullish on Tiger Woods’ chances at this week’s British Open: Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley.

McGinley, an Irishman, wrote in a Sunday Times column that he “wouldn’t rush to put any money on Tiger Woods” to win this week at Royal Portrush.

“I don’t understand what’s going on with the Masters champion,’’ McGinley wrote. “Since April, he has entered just one tournament outside the majors — the Memorial in late May. That is bizarre. There must be something physically amiss we don’t know about because even in the zenith of his career 20 years ago he couldn’t have expected to contend for the big championships with so few competitive rounds under his belt.”

McGinley’s assessment echoed the sentiment of fellow Irish golfer Padraig Harrington, who three weeks ago told reporters at the Irish Open he questioned Woods’ pre-Open strategy of not playing a warm-up event on a links course beforehand.

It, too, paralleled statements NBC analyst Paul Azinger made exclusively to The Post when the former U.S. Ryder Cup captain wondered aloud if Woods was too satisfied with his Masters win in April and whether he’d ever win again.

Charles Howell III withdrew from the Open on Monday, which opened a spot for Brian Harman, who’ll play in his first British. Next on the alternate list is Martin Kaymer, a former No. 1-ranked player in the world.