Only 36 of the toughest holes in golf and a lanky Dutchman stand between Tommy Fleetwood and a place in history today. If Fleetwood, 17, can hold his nerve and hole his putts in the final of the Amateur Championship against Reinier Saxton at Turnberry, he will become the youngest winner in the competition's 123-year history.

Saxton is barely out of his teens and had won his way into the semi-finals by putting out another 17-year-old, Pedro Figueiredo, from Portugal, by 3 and 2 yesterday morning and then, on the 18th, ended the hopes of Joe Vickery, from Newport, who had won an all-Welsh quarter-final with James Frazer that went to four extra holes.

Yet the occasion will not daunt Fleetwood. “When I came here, all I wanted to do was qualify [from two rounds of strokeplay] for the last 64,” he said. “Now each time I win it's great because it means I get to play this course again for free.”

Fleetwood comes from Southport, Merseyside, and has one eye on the exemption from qualifying he would earn as winner for this year's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, his local course. He won his quarter-final yesterday against Jorge Campillo, the tournament favourite from Spain, who had been runner-up on the American college circuit this year. Having lost the 2nd hole, Fleetwood won three in succession from the 6th with birdies and played sensibly on the back nine to triumph by one hole.

He then played another Englishman, Andrew Sullivan, 21, and trailed for only one hole after losing the 7th. Neck and neck after 13, the end came as Fleetwood won the next three holes thanks to errors by Sullivan.

Fleetwood has relished his chance on this stage, having left school after his GCSEs last year with an A* in drama. His leading role before today's final was to play Macbeth and, having proved his worth in weather that was fair and foul, Fleetwood may have spent last night muttering, like the Scottish king, “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow... ”