Joe Dean was delivering groceries last week before travelling to the Magical Kenya Open.
The World No. 2,930 had been struggling to afford to play on the DP World Tour in 2024 until he competed in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters two weeks ago, but he missed the cut.
The man from College Pines returned to his job at Morrisons as a delivery driver after this disappointment, before trekking to Muthaiga Golf Club for another shot at success.
But after a final round 67 on Sunday, Dean leapt to a tie for second place – two shots behind Darius Van Driel – which bagged him a life-changing £170,000.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. It’s got to be (life-changing). It’s what people dream of, it’s what I’ve been aiming to do for a long time. After the last three or four years I never thought I’d get another chance.
“Still some gremlins to get past to get to my full potential, but like anyone you’ve got to get over them, squash them and keep going.
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“I’ve never been one of the most over-confident people. Coming into this week was a bit daunting. Second event, you don’t really feel like you belong and feel like you’re trying to prove something.
“Luckily, I managed to get over that quickly and figure out how to get around the golf course.”
Making just his sixth appearance on the DP World Tour, the Yorkshireman birdied the 72nd hole to secure his most significant paycheque yet.
After jumping to 36th in the Race to Dubai rankings, he now has a place in the next DP World Tour event – the SDC Championship.
Dean was one of 33 players to earn a DP World Tour card at the Final Stage of Q-School at Infinitum back in November.
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The 29-year-old won the English Amateur Championship in 2015, comprehensively beating Alfie Plant 9&7 in the final.
And he was a multiple winner on the PGA EuroPro Tour with his most recent victory coming at the Bendac Championship Pro-Am in 2022.
In 2017, he played in The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale where he made the cut and came tied for 70th.
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