Following years of nearly men in English golf Justin Rose is finally showing all the credentials to become the man to emulate the great Nick Faldo.

As a pro golfer Faldo won more than 40 titles, including six Majors, and in 1988 he was awarded an MBE for his services to the game of golf as he led the way not only in England, but Europe and even the world.

It has taken two decades for England to finally produce a player who could well prove to be every bit as successful as the great Faldo was in his career.

True we have seen the likes of Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter impressing on the course over recent times, but 27-year-old Rose is threatening to break away from the rest of the field and become a stand-out figure for England.

It is ironic that Rose was actually born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and moved to England as a five-year-old, while he also spends a large period of time living in Florida. However, since his joint-fourth placed finish at the 1998 Open as an unknown 17-year-old amateur, Rose has always flown the flag for England.

Written by Craig Smithson, a professional sports writer who blogs about golf betting at the new Betfair Betting blog.

Last season’s Order of Merit champion has moved up to sixth position on the world rankings and was narrowly pipped into third place for the European Tour Golfer of the Year for 2007 title.

Irishman and Open winner Padraig Harrington secured that award, while US Open winner Angel Cabrera was runner-up. But the signs are clear that Rose is now forging his way towards top honours in the game.