It is 20 years since Justin Rose produced one of the great Open Championship moments but Sandy Lyle is backing him to better that at Carnoustie this summer.

Those who were at Royal Birkdale can still remember the roar that erupted around the famous Southport course when 17-year-old Rose, an unknown amateur just four days before, chipped in at the 18th to move into Claret Jug contention.

Eventually he finished fourth but golf had a new star to follow and Rose has since won the US Open, Olympic gold and has been part of two victorious Ryder Cup teams.

However, even by his standards, the last 12 months have been exceptional and Rose has transformed into one of the best on the planet. On Sunday, he finished just three shots away from becoming world number one for the first time.

With four titles in the last 12 months, Rose is one of the men to beat ahead of The 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie and Lyle believes this could be a career-defining summer for the 37-year-old.

“Justin’s tail is up and the momentum is with him,” said the 1985 Champion Golfer of the Year.

“It is the right time of the year to challenge for the world number one ranking and when The Open comes along, I expect him to be knocking on the door.

“He will be one of the odds-on favourite to win around there. I was in the field in 1998 and it has been interesting to follow his story.

“When he turned pro, there were high expectations of him but it did not end up that way. It took him some considerable time but he knuckled down, went out to America and refined himself.

“The hard work has paid off. He is a major winner already but in the last 12 months he has really kicked on and he deserves everything he gets.”

The 1998 Open Championship was eventually won by Mark O’Meara but history will remember it for Rose’s exquisite chip on the last.

Following his emergence, he was seemingly set for greatness and turned professional a week after but 21 consecutive missed cuts derailed his confidence.

However, since then Rose has proven time and again he is a resilient character with unwavering self-belief.

His US Open win in 2013 was masterful and his Olympic gold in 2016 was emotionally charged. In the last year, he has won the WGC-HSBC Champions, the Turkish Airlines Open, the Indonesian Masters and the Fort Worth Invitational and is rapidly closing in on the number one ranking.

In an age where Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy dominate the headlines, Rose is quickly becoming the player many predicted he would be 20 years ago.

“The game needed a new face and he was it. He left an impression and everyone wanted things to happen for him when he turned pro,” Lyle added.

“However, no player comes with a guarantee and in his case it did not work that way. He lost his father at a later stage and everything became a bit gloomy.

“But he got over that and shot up the rankings. The last year has been very special and I think it could only get better.”

Carnoustie is hardly a venue where success is to be expected though. Often referred to as the hardest course on The Open’s rota, it will punish even the slightest of errors which is why a consistent Rose is so well-backed.

Yet with Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, 2016 winner Henrik Stenson and former world number one Jason Day all in form, it is an open field – although Lyle knows who the dark horse will be.

“The field will be looking out because Tiger (Woods) is lurking in the background,” he said.

“I think he has a fantastic chance and he has improved monthly since coming back. A year ago he was as low as anyone could be but the way he has battled back is massive.

“He doesn’t have anything to fear, the rest of the field do.”

1985 Champion Golfer Sandy Lyle was promoting The 147th Open which takes place at Carnoustie from 15-22 July. Tickets are available at TheOpen.com/Tickets