Joe Dean, number 2,930 in the world ranking and part-time home delivery driver for Morrisons supermarket, finished second in the Magical Kenya Open and his life has taken a 180-degree turn.
The Englishman, who barely qualified for the DP World Tour through the School, finished second behind Darius van Driel in Nairobi with a final card of 67 strokes to finish 12 under par. “It has to be a life change. It’s what people dream of,” Dean said.
The 29-year-old player from Sheffield qualified for the DP World Tour in 2023, but did not compete until the Qatar Masters in February, as he could not afford the trips to Australia, South Africa or Mauritius. He did not make the cut in Doha and returned to his delivery job for Morrisons.
However, after finishing two strokes behind Van Driel, everything looks different. “After the last three or four years, I never thought I would have another chance,” Dean said. “I still have to overcome some issues to reach my full potential, but like everyone else, you have to overcome them, crush them and move on. I’ve never been one of the most confident people, so failing the cut in Doha didn’t help me much. Afterwards, you feel like you have to be trying to prove something. Luckily, I managed to get over it quickly and figure out how to navigate on the golf course.”
One of those great stories that sport leaves us. Joe, for now, can already park the Morrisons delivery van.
