Last-Chance Qualifier

Royal Birkdale might be an unlikely spot for a wedding rehearsal but Joe Dean and fiancée Emily might have to make new plans.

The pair are due to be married in Worksop next Tuesday but any thought of a weekend making buttonholes and polishing shoes may have to be postponed – for both of them.

Dean emerged through an engrossing Last-Chance Qualifier to earn the last spot in the field for The 154th Open.

And caddie Emily was right there with him, carrying his bag. 

The pair will now be reading greens instead of their vows in the days before the biggest of their life - and they’d have it no other way.

The 32-year-old will tee it up in The Open for the third time. On each of the previous two occasions, he has made the cut, suggesting all of their 47 wedding guests would be unwise to include them in any pre-event plans.

Admittedly, someone will need to step in and walk their two dogs, who will play the crucial role of ring bearers.

"A week off would have made the wedding a bit easier but The Open is a good excuse to liven things up a little bit,” said Dean.

You bet. Less than 48 hours before Joe tees off alongside Henrik Stenson and Max Homa, Emily will be at her final dress fitting.

The Last-Chance Qualifier certainly livened things up too and enthralled a captivated crowd at Royal Birkdale.

Twelve players started the day hoping to snag the final place in the draw and it was tight and tense for much of it.

Dean needed every ounce of his Yorkshire grit to finish one shot clear of Andrew Wilson.

He made two birdies and an eagle in sweltering morning conditions and admits the nerves set in long before he walked up the 18th to a grandstand full of captivated spectators.

“It only takes one bounce or one bit of wind to ruin your day,” he said.

“I'm not the best at keeping in my own head. So I'm sticking to processes, and when things are going bad, it's even harder.

“Emily used to be on my bag when I first turned pro, 2016. It is a very hard dynamic.

“Even when things are going well out there, it's still not a nice walk in the park. It's very stressful. It's demanding.

“I will say that the good thing is I'm self-sustainable. So I have the yardage book. I just literally need Em to carry the bag in, probably just to talk rubbish too. Emily's been on the bag for three or four weeks maybe.

“She was a county level golfer, so she knows what she's doing. And obviously, she knows me pretty well, which always helps.”

Dropped shots at 13 and 15 prevented Dean from running away with it, while a wayward tee shot on the par-5 17th almost proved costly.

His ball finished high on a mound, much to the dismay of the friends and family - including one wearing a Dolly Parton t-shirt, with Joe Dean printed on the back.

He was deep in rough that came up to his waist but he managed to hack his way out and scramble a par.

The 18th was just as tense. Dean found a greenside bunker but produced an excellent recovery from the sand to leave him a simple putt for par.

Ahead of him, Wilson was watching nervously. His round was more volatile than Dean’s, who recorded 13 pars.

Wilson holed five birdies but four bogeys checked his progress and he missed out by one.

Big-hitting South African Aldrich Potgieter led for much of the front nine but back-to-back bogeys on 8 and 9 catapulted Dean into the lead.

Potgieter fought back to -1 by the final two holes but he was wayward off the tee both times.

He could only par the par-5 17th, meaning he needed to birdie the last to force a play-off with Dean. Instead, his tee shot found thick rough, his second located a bunker, and he made bogey.

“I was watching the scoreboard all my way around,” Dean said.

“I was watching Wilson and Potgieter, I saw their names hovering at 1-under, level and 1-under.

“The key moment came on 14. I hit a really good drive down the middle, had 250 to the flag straight down wind and just probably hit the best 6-iron I've ever hit.

“Fortunately, the wind caught it and it bounced pretty good. We didn't hear anything from the grandstands, but it was four feet from the hole for eagle. Not bad.”

Dean now has the challenge of finding somewhere to stay.

Ahead of The 152nd Open at Royal Troon, he slept in a camper van, while at Royal Birkdale nine years ago – the scene of his Open debut - it was a nearby Pontins.

"We were fortunate to get a hotel room last night but everywhere else is booked," he said. “With the weather like it is I could probably pitch a tent next to the putting green.

"Maybe like in Troon in 2024, we'll find a camper van park but I'll sleep in the car if I have to."

Anywhere will do. Just as long as he makes it to the wedding on time next week.