The Open 2013: Justin Rose is England's lone rider on the world stage at Muirfield In fact, far from heralding a golden era of English golf, there is an argument that Rose's success has actually papered over a few cracks. The 32-year-old has been in sublime form this year, finally living up to the expectations he created as a teenager when he finished fourth at the 1998 Open at Birkdale, but he looks like a lone rider on the world stage at the moment, not the leader of a posse. When golf's chattering classes gathered at Lytham last year, the talk was all of how the Open had its best chance of throwing up a home winner in years. At the time, Luke Donald was the world's No 1 player, while Lee Westwood held third place in the rankings. Donald made a stirring charge up the tournament's leaderboard to fifth place on the last day, but he had started from too far back to threaten victory. Westwood had four humdrum days and finished in a tie for 45th. Hence the diminished expectations this year. Donald has had a tidy majors season this year - 25th at the Masters, eighth at the US Open - and Westwood has hardly disgraced himself either, but both have fallen back in the world rankings, to ninth and 12th respectively. Westwood ended Colin Montgomerie's run of seven consecutive European money list titles when he finished top of the pile in 2000, but he also seems to have inherited the Scot's gift for coming maddeningly close in major championship without ever closing the deal. He has racked up 15 top-10 finishes to date. At 40, time is not on his side. Curiously enough, the one top English player who has been making waves recently is not even in the field at Muirfield this week. Injury and the break-up of his marriage led Paul Casey into a prolonged form slump, but his victory at the Irish Open two weeks ago, followed by an impressive showing at the Scottish Open, showed that his game is on the mend. Sadly his recovery has come to late to get him into this year's Championship. So the English contingent is made up of 17 players. One - Sir Nick Faldo - might be dismissed as a ceremonial presence, but the same thing was said about Greg Norman and Tom Watson before they lit up the tournament in 2008 and 2009. No doubt there will also be an early bolter from among the ranks of the amateurs and the qualifiers, but the truth of the matter is that such players very rarely stay the distance. Rose was unusual in doing so in 1998. And having become the first Englishman to win a major since Faldo's final Masters in 1996, he at least has faith in his countrymen. "Hopefully it has broken the curse," said Rose of his Merion win. It probably gives the others that added bit of belief. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the other guys follow in the not too distant future.