​Does anyone in the Southport area have a spare tent? Joe Dean, the last man to qualify for this week’s Open Championship, is in need of somewhere to stay. The Sheffield golfer shot a two-under-par 68 on Monday to win by a single stroke at the inaugural Last Chance Qualifier, where 12 players were competing for the final berth in the 154th edition of golf’s oldest major. Sinking a winning putt in front of the iconic art deco clubhouse at Royal Birkdale on Sunday will be followed by the immortal proclamation, “Champion Golfer of the Year.” For Dean, the prize of simply reaching The Open is a treasure in itself, and now he faces the prospect of house hunting.
“We were fortunate to secure a hotel room last night, but everywhere else is fully booked,” he said, before joking: “With the weather as it is, I could probably pitch a tent next to the putting green.” He added wryly, “Maybe, like Troon in 2024, we’ll find a camper-van park, but I’ll sleep in the car if I have to.”
After six straight pars, a lone birdie on the par-three seventh left Dean the only player of the group to turn in under par. The World Number 268 surged further ahead with an eye-catching eagle on the par-five 14th to move to three under. His deft scrambling for bogey on the par-four 13th and a sumptuous 20-yard greenside bunker shot to tap-in range on the 18th helped him set the clubhouse pace. When Aldrich Potgieter, the 2025 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and the first reserve who would enter if anyone withdraws, failed to birdie, Dean’s spot in his third Open was secured.
Dean’s bunker shot on the 18th enabled him to get up and down for par. His route to the 154th Open Championship is a path less travelled. He turned professional in 2016 and made his Open debut at Birkdale the following year, only to slide down the world rankings while juggling limited playing opportunities with a job as a Morrisons delivery driver. A runner-up finish at the 2024 Kenya Open helped him return to the DP World Tour on a full-time basis, with two top-10 finishes in his last three starts. Although he was edged out in a playoff in final qualifying for The Open, his near miss earned him a place in the Last Chance Qualifier. He will now compete alongside 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson and American Max Homa in the first two rounds.
“It’s surreal,” he said. “To see how my game holds up and to be playing with some of the heroes I grew up admiring is amazing.” If he makes the cut, the prize money could already be earmarked for a wedding, as he marries his caddie Emily the following Tuesday. “A week off would have made the wedding a bit easier, but The Open is a good excuse to liven things up a little,” he smiled. A record crowd of 300,000 is expected at Royal Birkdale over the course of the week.
The format? 12 golfers, 18 holes, and the lowest score claiming the 156th and final spot in The Open. The reason? Organisers—the R&A—are ensuring the competition remains a dramatic and essential route into golf’s oldest major.