​SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Joe Dean of England delivered the goods Monday morning at Royal Birkdale by winning the inaugural “Last Chance Qualifier,” shooting a 2-under 68 to claim the final spot in the British Open. Dean clung to a one-shot lead as he targeted the closing hole, when his tee shot found a pot bunker and he splashed out to within three feet. The vast grandstands lining the green, packed about two-thirds full, erupted in applause for the potential winning putt that could echo through the weekend if he could finish off his round.
At 32 years old, Dean has hauled himself from delivering groceries to the brink of a major championship start, a journey that now offers him a real shot. He finished one stroke ahead of Andrew Wilson, with Aldrich Potgieter bogeying the final hole to finish two behind and remaining the first alternate. The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) established this final qualifier to give 12 players one last opportunity to earn a spot in the field and to provide Royal Birkdale’s spectators with more competition than the usual routine of chipping and putting in a lengthy practice round.
“Seeing the number of people out here today has been fantastic,” Dean said. He will be making his third British Open appearance and his first since Royal Troon in 2024. “We stopped at a local Premier Inn, and a few people asked if we were playing in the qualifier today, which you don’t usually get. I think it has drawn a lot more people.”
The top two alternates — Potgieter and Matti Schmid — were required to play to retain their status on the reserve list. They were joined by a cohort of players who narrowly missed various qualifying opportunities. Those two remain the top alternates, with the remainder of the reserve list filled according to the order of finish from Monday’s competition.
Dean had missed out on a 3-for-1 qualifying spot at West Lancashire two weeks earlier and was invited to compete here. His best moment came on the back nine, especially at the 14th hole, a par-5 where his second shot with a 6-iron rode the wind, rolled across the firm turf, and stopped at four feet. “Probably the best 6-iron I’ve ever hit,” he remarked.
Dean made his British Open debut at Royal Birkdale in 2017, tying for 70th. At the moment, he sits at No. 268 in the world and is 67th in the Race to Dubai on the European Tour. The qualifier’s completion adds a meaningful chapter to a season already notable for its timing—Dean is also getting married on Tuesday—an occasion he lightheartedly noted as a factor in the odd scheduling.
“It was cheaper,” he joked, referring to the unusual weekday wedding bit.
Dean is the only Royal Birkdale participant who previously spent time delivering groceries, a part-time job he started during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and kept for nearly four years to help fund his career while he wasn’t holding a tour card and was primarily playing one-day events. “I had a great time doing it,” he said. “Met some really good friends and grounded me really well.”
Wilson did his best to pressure the field, birdieing the par-5 17th to put some doubt into the final results, but he settled for a closing par after the late drama. The last chance belonged to Potgieter, who will stay on the reserve list as the first alternate, with the final standings determining the ordering among alternates and those who came up just short on other qualifying routes.