Justin Rose begins his Open Championship bid tomorrow, declaring that there is nothing he dreams of winning more than the Claret Jug.

The Hampshire ace arrives at Muirfield having elevated himself to a new level, following his US Open victory last month.

With his major duck broken, Rose now has his sights set on adding another of golf’s crown jewels to his list of achievements.

“The Open Championship does stand out to me,” said Rose, whose best performance in the event remains the fourth place he famously secured as an amateur, at Birkdale, in 1998.

“I have a very special relationship with it, which dates back to when I was 14 and led the regional qualifying event at my local club, and we know what happened in 1998.

“The Open is the one I have dreamed about winning the most for sure. As I play the next ten years, the Open is going to be at the forefront of my goals for a long, long time.”

Rose, who has been grouped with defending champion Ernie Els and American Brandt Snedeker for the first two days in Scotland, is one of the favourites to top the leaderboard on Sunday night.

Only the world number one, Tiger Woods, is shorter odds to win the tournament.

Rose, however, has not played much competitive golf since his victory at Merion and the big question will be over his sharpness.

He finished in a tie for 13th at the Travelers Championship immediately after the US Open, but has had three weeks off since then.

“I think I did such a good job preparing mentally and physically for the US Open that it’s going to be tough for me,” he admitted recently. “My goal basically is to make sure I’m sharp and ready for Muirfield.”

If he does win, Rose will become only the seventh player in the history of the sport to claim the US Open and the Open Championship in the same year.

But, in the long term, the current world number three has even grander ambitions than that, revealing his belief that he can win all four of golf’s majors.

Only five players have ever done that – Jack Nicklaus, Woods, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.

“If I’m allowed to dream, a career grand slam puts you into a whole different echelon,” said Rose. “That makes you one of the greats of all time if that can be achieved. I feel my game suits all four majors. I don’t think there is a weakness where that can’t happen.”