“It is very exciting,” he said. “It is a great honour. It will be nerve wracking as well but it is something you dream of.
“I was a bit taken aback by it at first, to be honest, but then got into a bit of conversation (with R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon) and it was a nice one to have.
“My wife, my mum, my brother and sister, their children and all my close friends are going to be here, so it will be a busy time.”
The assumption will be that Baldwin’s local knowledge should give him an edge.
But the man himself is keen to point out that a combination of the well-publicised changes to the course and scorching Southport sunshine are giving the regulars something to think about too.
“There is going to be a bit of learning for me out there as it is a new set-up,” he said.
“I have never seen it play this quick so I will have to adapt to it a bit and see what it is like myself. But I know where I should and shouldn’t be hitting it.”
The links between Baldwin and Fleetwood go back a long way.
Fleetwood was just 13 when he made his debut for Lancashire’s men’s team alongside Baldwin, leaving the youngster star-struck.
And the warmth with which he spoke of his fellow Southport golfer in the build-up this week was unmistakable.