​As golfer Tommy Fleetwood returns home to Southport to compete in the 154th Open Championship, his former coach has shared memories of the ace’s younger years.Norman Marshall began coaching the now 35-year-old at Formby Hall, in Formby, Merseyside, when the keen young golf fanatic was aged just six.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSince then Fleetwood has gone on to play alongside the games greats, collecting a flurry of trophies including three Ryder Cups for Europe and a silver Olympic medal for Great Britain.Now, more than two decades on, Marshall, 57, who co-runs the Tommy Fleetwood Academy alongside Fleetwood, said it would be “the pinnacle of my career as a coach” to see his former pupil securing The Open title at Royal Birkdale.”He was pretty spectacular,” Marshall said.”Once he was eight years old he could hold his own against any junior field. It was particularly unusual in that day and age.”Fleetwood is currently competing in the 154th Open Championship for England [Reuters]He said Fleetwood’s pure passion for golf was what made the difference.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”When I realised how much he loved golf, that’s the differentiating factor,” he said.”When you realise how much a kid loves it – as almost an obsession – you need that first before anything else.”The amount of practice he did in winter showed that obsession.”So in summer he’d be playing a lot, but in winter he was at the golf range – all the time, any weather, playing golf with his dad, hitting balls.”You just couldn’t stop him.”Marshall said he remembers Fleetwood coming last at his first ever tournament, at the age of seven.”He was crushed,” Marshall said.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”He was actually playing in the much, much older field off tees that were really, really far back.”So, it wasn’t an abysmal performance, it was just a competition geared for teenagers and he was only young.”But the deciding factor was that he was back the next week, so he had that resilience and determination.”On Fleetwood’s character, Marshall said: “He was relatively quiet, but he wasn’t lacking in confidence – a steady, calm and mature kid.”He held your gaze when you were talking to him, but he was friendly and an easy smile, and not a loud person.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMarshall continued: “It would be absolutely incredible to see him win.”It would be the pinnacle of my career as a coach, it would almost put the full stop on it.”Any golfer from the UK would put the British Open of the four majors at the absolute pedestal of of their dreams.”And if you come from Southport, to win it at Birkdale would be the pinnacle of that.”It’s a lot of pressure on him and I want him to be relaxed.”I have told Tommy he has already won at life – everything that’s actually important, like character traits, you are a winner and that’s what counts.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFleetwood’s former Drama teacher Erica May, met and taught a then 14-year-ol