No Englishman has won The Open since Nick Faldo’s triumph at Muirfield in 1992. None has won it on “home” soil since Tony Jacklin ended an 18-year drought of British success at Royal Lytham in 1969. Yet today, five home-grown players will tee off within six shots off the lead. That is the same final-round deficit that Padraig Harrington overhauled last year to claim his first major win at Carnoustie.

Lee Westwood was the English player tipped to succeed here, but of the five “locals” in the top 14 on the leaderboard this morning, only Ian Poulter ranks inside the world’s top 50.

Leading the way is Simon Wakefield, whose level-par 70 defied the conditions yesterday. When the 34-year-old, nephew of former England wicketkeeper Bob Taylor, came into the clubhouse, he had only three names above him on the leaderboard – Greg Norman, Harrington and KJ Choi. Four hours earlier, as he teed off, there had been 18 players and six shots separating him and leader Choi. With no player breaking par on a day that saw winds of up to 35mph, Wakefield was one of just four players not to shoot worse than par, thanks to three birdies over the last seven holes that cancelled out three bogeys between the fourth and the 13th.

Three weeks ago Wakefield had shown his mettle in the Open qualifying competition at Sunningdale. He booked his spot at Birkdale – his fourth Open – with a seven-under-par total, which led a field that included Ryder Cup veterans Jose Maria Olazabal, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley, all of whom missed out.

Now the journeyman pro from Newcastle-under-Lyme is within striking distance of a win that would take him into contention for a place in Faldo’s team at Valhalla. Membership of that elite, the £750,000 prize-money and a victory that would be his first on the European Tour could all be his after he survived the conditions that blew so many others off track.

Wakefield went through the front nine in a two-over-par 36 and was embedded in the pack. But as others fell away, including Garcia, who finished on nine over, Wakefield birdied the 12th, 14th and 17th holes, dropping a shot at the 13th.

“The score is irrelevant,” he said later. “I hit one shot at a time and I tried to commit to that shot as well as I could. Five over is irrelevant. If I was five under, it would be no difference. Position is the key. I’m going into tomorrow in the same frame of mind that I was today. I’ll be patient. I appreciate that everyone else is going to be making bogeys, double bogeys and others, and I thought that would be the key, if I could keep the double bogeys off my scorecard today.”

Asked about his more famous cricketing uncle, he replied: “I don’t see him that often, but he sends me a text when I do well.”

This has been a breakthrough year for Wakefield, who lost his card at the end of 2004. Since rejoining the tour at qualifying school he has improved his Order of Merit placing in each of the past three years to a high of 54th in 2007. He’s 73rd now – and 252nd in the world rankings – but if he hangs in there today, he will eclipse last year’s mark, d w a r f i n g t h e € 2 7 6 , 6 2 5 (£219,000) he has already accumulated, thanks largely to a second-placed finish at the BA-CA Open in Austria in June.

Second place is as good as it has been for Wakefield, who lost a playoff with Marc Warren at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last September. But this is different, and he knows it.

“The thought of me being Open champion in 25, 26 hours? Bizarre,” he said. “I might not sleep a lot tonight. It’s a very unfamiliar territory for me this week. I’ve been leading going into the final round of a tournament before, at Gleneagles, and I’ve been second this year in Austria. I’m familiar with the position, but not this position in a major championship. I’ll try to relax tonight, have a meal with friends and family and try to sleep and not think about it. I believe the weather will be a bit better tomorrow. The crowd have been magnificent and I’m sure they will carry me round.”

Poulter failed to register a birdie in his round of 75 that left him six shots behind Norman.

Tied with him and three others at ninth are compatriots Chris Wood and Graeme Storm. On Friday, Wood emulated Justin Rose’s achievement of chipping in at the 18th as an amateur. Now he has the opportunity to match Rose’s fourth-place finish in 1998. Ahead of them, tied for fifth, five shots off the pace, is Ross Fisher. The inform 27-year-old Englishman, who won the European Open by seven strokes from Garcia two weeks ago, carded a one-over 71.

Two English golfers expected to figure on the leaderboard – Westwood and Rose – endured horrendous days. Westwood could do no better than 79 to stand at 17 over. Rose fared even worse – his 82 left him tied for 79th.

THE ENGLISH CHALLENGE

Ian Poulter: appeared in a less garish pink jumper yesterday – the Arsenal fanatic was once censured by the European Tour for wearing a Gunners top during a competitive round. Will be hoping for more success than his football heroes enjoyed last season.

Ross Fisher: the inform Englishman. His win in the European Open a fortnight ago put him in the frame for the Ryder Cup. Won a scholarship at prestigious Wentworth as a boy after his father spotted an ad in the local paper.

Chris Wood: the 20-year-old amateur leads compatriot Tom Sherreard in the hunt for the Silver Medal. A promising footballer in Bristol until injury pushed him towards golf. ‘After I got injured I lost interest in football,’ explained the 6ft 5in Wood.

Graeme Storm: talented amateur who played in the same successful Walker Cup side as Luke Donald and Paul Casey in 2001. As for hobbies, he says: ‘I love to watch football, especially Liverpool at Anfield, which is the best atmosphere I have ever witnessed’.

Simon Wakefield: nephew of England wicketkeeper Bob Taylor, he had to come through qualifying but his round of 70 yesterday was the best of the day. Has a best-placed finish on Tour of second and had to regain his card in 2004.