Andy Sullivan rocketed to fame when he beat Charl Schwartzel at the SA Open two years ago. He won the Joburg Open a month later and launched his international career, culminating in his playing the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.

This week he’s back on the European Tour for the British Masters, where he’s going to enjoy local support.

‘Any time you get to play in front of a home crowd it’s fantastic. It’s a high-quality field, so it should be a special week on a course in good condition. Hopefully we can have another British winner to cap it off,’ he said in reference to Matthew Fitzpatrick’s win last year.

Sullivan lost 3&1 to Brandt Snedeker in the Sunday singles at Hazeltine, but gained valuable experience competing with the best in the world.

‘It raises your game, wants you to be a bit better. I want to see how far I can get. Hopefully Andy Sullivan will be remembered forever!’ he joked.

‘It was a disappointing result, but a fantastic week at the same time. It’s given me a lot of clarity and drive to go on and win big honours in the game. Hopefully I get a chance to play in France and hopefully beat the Americans,’ he added.

The world number 51 is optimistic about his chances at The Grove this week, where he’ll look to add a fourth European Tour trophy to his collection.

‘You’re guaranteed good crowds and it’s always good to be back. This has always been tournament close to my heart and to play the event is great. Come Sunday it would be nice to go down the stretch and have a chance of winning,’ he concluded.

There are nine South Africans in the field this week, including former Masters champion Trevor Immelman and last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship runner-up Richard Sterne.

The rainbow nation’s crew will be looking to upset the Brits when the tournament begins on Thursday.