At the start of the final round at the US Open, which was won by Ángel Cabrera at Oakmont on Sunday, it is a fair bet that Nick Dougherty did not expect to be the leading Englishman at the end of play. But on a day when the course took a number of players by the scruff of the neck and shook them to the core, Dougherty moved quietly through the field with a round of 71, for a ten-over-par total of 290 that gave him a share of seventh place and secured him a debut at the Masters next year.

It was a terrific performance by a player who had missed the cut in four of his previous five major championship appearances.

Four strokes ahead of Dougherty, and in joint third place, as the day began were Justin Rose and Paul Casey. It was not misplaced optimism that suggested that Casey or Rose could come through for a first victory by a Briton in a major championship since Paul Lawrie won the Open at Carnoustie in 1999. But in the end, the course got the better of both. Each had a round of 76 and had to settle for a share of tenth place.

However, with three Englishmen in the top ten of a major championship that is regarded by the players as the toughest test of all, the signs are that things are moving in the right direction on the home front. With the Open Championship at Carnoustie on the horizon, what chances of these three living up to the legacy of Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam, who between them won nine majors?

It is easy to forget that Rose is only 26, so long has he been playing professionally. But in the past 12 months his game has matured to the point where he challenges seriously for every tournament he enters. Rose has a feel for the big stage, is comfortably inside the world’s top 20 and has the ability to compete for the top honours. Carnoustie could be the place.

Casey, 29, has established himself as more than a player with potential. He had not done himself justice in previous major championships, but he now looks more comfortable at this level. His second round of 66 at Oakmont drew applause from his peers on the final green. He, too, has the ability to win a major and this could be the year.

At 25, Dougherty has time on his side. He will take great heart from Oakmont. And he is right to believe that he could win a major as Britons strive to break that eight-year duck.