David Howard

David Howard secured his first-ever Open appearance after he plotted his way to an all-important place in the top five of Final Qualifying at Dundonald Links.

Rounds of 69 and 71 saw him finish on four-under-par – good enough for T2 and a place at The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale.

The 27-year-old from Cork entered Final Qualifying ranked 1,456th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and will now make his first appearance in a major championship.

Howard, a member of Fota Island Golf Club, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of seven and has spoken about using golf to inspire others living with the condition, while also serving as an ambassador for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland.

The East of Ireland Amateur champion told the Irish Independent: “My thing is always to show the younger kids coming up that if they can see me do this, anything is possible if you put in the work.

It’s good for the whole CF community that someone with CF can play in a major championship.”

Alongside his amateur golf career, Howard has also worked as a qualified mechanic for Audi.