My goal is to follow Andy Murray : Justin Rose

Justin Rose has already broken the ice at the recent G8 summit and now intends to confirm himself as a world leader by emulating Andy Murray. And after the composure and class he displayed at Merion last month do not be surprised if he succeeds this week at Muirfield and so affords Britain its second US Open-home major double in a month.

The notion came to Rose at Wimbledon eight days ago as he sat in the Royal Box watching Murray follow up his Flushing Meadow glory with the British equivalent. "The irony didn't escape me that Andy's breakthrough had come at the US Open, just like mine did, and that he was now winning, if you like, his home 'major'," Rose said. "I'm pretty sure winning the first made winning Wimbledon easier for Andy and, who knows, perhaps it'll be the same for me with the Open.

I'd certainly like to follow in his footsteps." It would take Rose's fame to a new level, although Wimbledon informed this quiet Englishman that he had risen to the upper echelons of sporting society anyway. "One of the nicest perks of being the US Open champion was being invited to the Royal Box for such a special final," Rose said. "Kate [his wife] and I had an incredible day. On our table at lunch was the sports minister [Hugh Robertson] and his wife [Andy] and Coleen and Wayne Rooney and while we were chatting, David Cameron and his mum joined us. "I felt a bit embarrassed, as after the US Open, the Prime Minister had sent me a tweet of congratulations, but I missed it when I scrolled through them all. So the first thing I said to him was 'I'm sorry for not replying'.

But he said not to worry as my win had provided him with his first line to Barack Obama at the G8 summit at Lough Erne." Rose has come a long way since being that skinny 17-year-old amateur at the 1998 Open who chipped in on the last at Royal Birkdale. In the immediate wake of those remarkable scenes, the Claret Jug was declared to be his destiny and even now, with a major to his name, Rose still believes he must justify that promise. "There's always been a sense that I need to win the Open to validate what I did as a teenager at Birkdale," he said. "That would be my full circle."

Rose has yet to come close. He has not recorded another top 10 in the 10 Opens since. His best chance probably came the last time Muirfield played host. Then 21, he made the cut by a shot and capitalised on his luck in dodging the infamous Saturday afternoon storm to fire a 68 and put himself in the penultimate group. His closing 72 was not a disaster but only good enough to earn him a tie for 22nd. For Rose, however, that week stands out for another reason. "I was paired with Tiger [Woods] in the first two rounds - it was the first time I had played with him and it was a big deal for me," Rose recalled.

"Tiger was arguably at the peak of his powers and was an intimidating force. While he was winning majors almost at will, I had just had my first bit of success in winning the British Masters the month before. "I remember being really worried about it on the Wednesday evening and my dad staying up most of the night thinking about what he could say to calm me down. He boiled it down to the fact that the family had dealt with much harder things with his illness. We were all facing up to the fact that he wasn't going to be around for that much longer. "He put into perspective what the round of golf really meant.

That settled me and allowed me to go out and just play my game. I got off to a great start, was four-under after nine holes and shot a 68. That was a day I was very proud of and it's a nice memory of my dad." Leukaemia eventually claimed Ken later that year and by then, Rose had won a further three times. It seemed the boy wonder had become a man, but it was all an illusion. A decade of peaks and troughs followed before Rose could finally look up to the heavens and say, "That's for you, dad". Now that Rubicon has been crossed, Rose is determined to move forward. "You hope you're good enough to win a major, you think you're good enough to win a major, but not until you win one do you know that you're good enough to win a major," he said. "The biggest factor I took out of Merion is that I'm ready to relish the opportunities that I'm sure my game will give me. I need to put myself in the positions that test you the most at the very high end of the game." If Rose wants pressure he need only put himself into contention at Muirfield. Not since Nick Faldo won there has so much been expected from one Englishman.

There is a good reason for that - until Merion, no Englishman had won a major since Faldo. Before, Rose was just a part of the so-called golden generation who promised so much. Now he has delivered, and so the temperature rises. "I feel very comfortable in this role," he said. "It was something which could happen, should happen, but not until it happens do you know how you will react to it. But I'm feeling calm about it. Those expectations from the home galleries and from the people watching at home, even, can help or they can hinder. I'm looking at it as a help. My mission is to get my name on the leaderboard and get the crowd going. That's when it would be a positive.

It could even be worth a shot late on." It is a tantalising scenario: the boy who would have been king at last being carried to his throne on a tide of public support. Only Woods is rated a better chance with the bookmakers and even he recognises the quality of his practice partner. "Tiger texted me straight after Merion, passing on his congratulations and Sean [Foley, who coaches Woods and Rose] told me that the first text he received after my win came from Tiger," he said. "That means a lot to me, particularly when I think back to 2002 and recall how nervous I was when playing with him. It's been a long process and there's still some way to go. Muirfield is the next step."