Rose is ready to face the cameras

The Open: Englishman hoping to benefit from home support as he partners Woods and Maruyama for the first two rounds at Muirfield

Justin Rose appealed to the gallery at the 131st Open Championship to help him while playing with world No 1 and Grand Slam-chaser Tiger Woods over the first two rounds. One of the curses of playing with Woods in major championships is that the crowd often move off once Tiger has played to get a vantage point on the next hole.

"Scottish crowds are very respectful and very knowledgeable," Rose said. "Hopefully they will help me out on Thursday and there won't be much rushing off after he's hit a shot. If it happens, it happens. You have to focus on what's happening inside the ropes and on your own game. If I start to play some nice golf perhaps the crowd will get behind me and I can swing some supporters my way."

The 21-year-old, who earlier this season became the highest Englishman on the world rankings, has come a long way since the carefree days of his remarkable performance as an amateur in the 1998 Open at Birkdale. While Woods declared yesterday that if he did do the Grand Slam his next goal would be to do it again, in one category Rose can claim to match Woods. Both have had four victories this year, more than anyone else in the world.

In addition to the Masters and the US Open, Tiger won the Bay Hill Invitational and the Deutsche Bank Open in Germany, where Rose finished a stroke outside the play-off between the American and Colin Montgomerie. Rose claimed his first professional win at the Dunhill Championship in Johannesburg, the city of his birth, in January before adding another win in South Africa, one in Japan and then winning the British Masters at Woburn last month.

Following his professional debut immediately after Birkdale, where he finished fourth, Rose missed 21 cuts in a row. In those dark days his father Ken, who continues to advise on his son's game while recovering from leukaemia, claimed Justin "was as strong as a tiger".

Now he will have to prove it after being handed a daunting assignment by the Royal and Ancient's computerised pairing system. The "draw" had been widely anticipated and it was no surprise that the pair will be playing with the popular Japanese player, Shigeki Maruyama. They tee off at 9.01 on Thursday morning, a minute after the scheduled start of the BBC TV's coverage while radio commentary on Five Live will begin fours earlier than the published 1.0pm.

Rose heard the news while playing a practice round with Padraig Harrington, who played alongside Woods in the third round of the US Open at Bethpage. "He's probably got the two most popular people with the photographers," the Irishman said. "Shigeki will have about 30 cameramen with him and Tiger about 50, but Justin will be just as popular here.

"If he can enjoy it, it will be great. I think it is going to be much more of a learning process for him. Maybe it will inspire him, but it could hinder his chances. Who knows how it will affect anybody, but there's definitely going to be a distraction."

Rose, who finished fifth in the Scottish Open last week, was determinedly upbeat about playing with Woods for the first time. "I laughed when I found out because it wasn't a surprise," he said. "I was asked about it last week and got a sense that it was a strong possibility which prepared me for it. My initial reaction is that it is going to be busy.

"It is a huge compliment and proves I have come a long way in a couple of years. I've had a good year and it is a reward for that. I suppose it hasn't quite sunk in that it's the world No 1 on the world stage. I'm sure I'll be nervous on Thursday morning, but that can get the adrenalin flowing. I've always found I've played my best golf when I'm a bit nervous on the first tee.

"There is going to be a lot of attention and the atmosphere will be huge, but you have to relish it. I want to compete against Tiger and sooner rather than later. To do so for the first time in the Open in front of British fans, there is no better place. It's going to be hard but it's going to be exciting."

Sergio Garcia was the last player to be paired with Tiger – in the final round of the US Open, which Woods won by three strokes. It should not be the last time that a major championship concludes with the American facing the 22-year-old Spaniard. "I'm not intimidated to play against him," Garcia said. "You guys [in the media] like to try and intimidate us about playing with him. He makes you feel good. I love playing with him. I have a lot of respect for him. I know he's a great player and yes, I do get nervous because I know I have to play my best, but not at all intimidated because I know if I play well I can beat anyone out here."