Renato Paratore hopes to continue his fine vein of form as the UK Swing of the European Tour continues with the Hero Open.
Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club, the home of the last edition of the English Open in 2002, will host the second leg of the six English events set up following the coronavirus pandemic hiatus, which caused the loss of four months to the 2020 Race to Dubai.
Paratore secured victory at last week's Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood to secure the second European Tour title of his career, which was greeted by a surprise videocall from his mother after his final putt, in addition to his 2017 Nordea Masters triumph.
The 23-year-old Italian climbed up to sixth on the 2020 Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex as a result and hopes to carry his momentum to Birmingham.
"It's been a really nice week," Paratore said. "I'm really happy and I realised these last two days how good it was for me. I was more excited after the tournament finished and I could enjoy those moments.
"It was a surprise for me (to receive video messages from family), I didn't expect it. It was a really nice moment for me to see them, really good emotions. Also the Spanish and Italian guys waiting for me. Miguel Ángel Jiménez, one of my idols, it was really good.
"I was playing really well before the tournament, I just had to believe I could win after the first round. I shot 66 and I was there and playing good. Why not? I had a solid short game and long game, so I didn't drop a lot of shots all week.
"It's possible (to win the Race to Dubai) but now I am focusing on every tournament, staying in the present and trying to play well every week. My ambitions are the same, playing well and shooting the best score I can. Just focus on the tournament here."
Paratore also paid tribute to his Spanish idol Jiménez, who will make a European Tour record 707th start this week.
"It's a big achievement, it's a lot of tournaments played," the Italian said. "It's really good for him, for golf, for the European Tour. He has won a lot of tournaments and he really deserves that one.
"I always saw him playing really good golf (when I was growing up) and also enjoying it."
