TWENTY THREE years England has waited. Jordan Spieth, the American who arrived at St Andrews this week looking for a record equalling third straight major, was not even born in 1992.

That’s how long ago we are talking since an English golfer last won the Open Championship, so you can understand why there was a hint of excitement as Yorkshireman Danny Willett worked his way to the top of the leaderboard after a rain-delayed start.

There will be those who can remember the way Nick Faldo held off the challenge of John Cook from the United States to win his third Claret Jug, but there is a whole generation of golf fans only too aware of that statistic having seen the footage or photographs from that summer in Muirfield.

Perhaps the atrocious weather on the start of day two and what is to come on moving day could strengthen the cause, and Willett did his own manoeuvring to alert the bookmakers after growing support for him to end the long wait.

The 27-year-old,from Sheffield, was effective from the start and he even regained his composure when the going got tougher towards the end to secure the early evening clubhouse lead, and by two shots.

More and more spectators decided to follow his group as the holes ticked by, mainly because he was giving the impression he was going nowhere after holing two decent sized putts on nine and ten for back to back birdies.

Like so many others over the first couple of days, he found the finish tougher. He bogeyed the 15th after a frustrating second shot and three putted the Road Hole at 17, while at the same time Zach Johnson had nailed a 20-footer at the last to share the clubhouse lead at seven-under with Scotland’s Marc Warren.

But then Willett, the son of a vicar and describing himself as from a “normal family with a wife and dog” afterwards, birdied the last to post a 69 and centre stage was his before the likes of Spieth and Dustin Johnson had even teed off.

He said: “I just had a text message off my mum (Elizabeth) really saying well done, you've made the cut! I mean, I haven't read all of them yet. That was the one that sprung from my mind.

“I'm sure there will be a few, I can feel my phone buzzing a little bit right now. Yeah, I'm sure there will be a few, but it might be a case of turning the phone off and having a little bit of quiet time.

“It was good fun. To see your name at the top of any leaderboard is good, especially when you're at The Open and your name is up top and you see the names behind you.

“I've said in other interviews it's something you need to embrace and you need to get used to, otherwise you're going to have a pretty tough weekend if you don't like being there.”

Will Willett be at the top of the leaderboard celebrating on Sunday? The whole of Yorkshire hopes so, knowing the Open has never had a champion hail from that part of the world. The whole of his country will be driving him on too.

Sir Nick Faldo has been back on the Old Course, never looking like he would turn back the clock 25 years to the scene of where he also became the only British golfer to win the Open at St Andrews during that run.

His performance that year has been dubbed arguably the greatest performance of them all by a player from these shores, with his four scorecards not displaying a single six from 72 holes as he won by five clear shots.

Faldo, who is likely to play a couple more Opens but this one will be his last at St Andrews, took his final walk over the Swilcan Bridge last night and he followed Justin Rose over it. In the group that followed those was Paul Casey, with promising English amateur Ashley Chesters not far behind.

Those are three of the contenders to win an Open Championship at some point, but there has to be a real danger that many of the leading hopes produced by England Golf over the last two decades are in danger of missing the boat.

Rose is the man in the field with the major monkey off his back having won the US Open in 2013, but the best finish he has had at The Open was finishing fourth at Royal Birkdale 15 years ago. He has achieved things, remaining assured and safe, but largely unspectacular which has prevented him from adding the Claret Jug to his list of honours.

Cheltenham’s Casey is not completely out of the equation either and he likes the Old Course, having finished tied third around here five years ago. He was also sixth at the Masters in April, but whether he can conjure up the magic remains to be seen.

Lee Westwood had a decent first couple of days, but at the age of 42 it would seem the former world number one’s chances of finding that elusive major crown are disappearing.

And then Luke Donald, the last of that once dubbed ‘golden generation of emerging talents’ is in danger of seeing his hopes of that big title slip away too after falling out of the world’s top 50. He has, though, found some form recently. Whether he has the mentality to stay in the mix for Sunday is uncertain.

With the failings and frustrations of those already mentioned, there is greater attention on the new breed; the next crop best placed to be in with a chance of success and ending that search for Open glory.

Willett has actually replaced Donald to have earned the right of a profile in the official Open Championship programme. Two years ago he made his only cut to date at an Open, but he is leading the English charge this time around and has displayed the quality and desire to stay at the right end of the leaderboard.

Once the water had cleared, the three hour delay for his second round did not affect him too much after a lie down on his bed and, after Thursday’s opening round 66, he posted an early birdie at the second to tie for the lead before lunch.

He has pedigree having spent 12 weeks as the world’s top ranked amateur in 2008, which was a year after he was a team-mate of McIlroy’s at the Walker Cup. He climbed in to the world’s top 40 in May after a third place finish at the World Golf Championship. That, though, would border on the insignificant if he was to end Sunday evening holding the Claret Jug.

Moving forward there are the extremely gifted Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Eddie Pepperrell, James Morrison and Greg Owen – the first three were graduates of the reputable Wee Wonders tournament for young golfers – making more and more of a stir on Tour and the big stage.

Whether or not any of those will have the right character to hold their nerve on an Open Sunday in the years to come is to be decided. If Willett can end the drought this weekend that could well ease the pressure on their shoulders to follow his lead.