Joe Dean of England reacts on the 16th green during day four of the Magical Kenya Open at Muthaiga Golf Club on February 25, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya.Â
Stuart Franklin | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
British golfer and part-time delivery driver Joe Dean hailed his performance at the Kenya Open as “life-changing” as he received a check for just under 200,000 euros ($217,000) by finishing in a tie for second place.
The world number 2,930 on Sunday rolled in a birdie on the final hole of the tournament to card a closing 4-under-par 67 and finish 12 under. It left him level with Spain’s Nacho Elvira 2 shots behind the eventual winner, the Netherlands’ Darius van Driel.
The result caps a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Dean, who was delivering groceries for U.K. supermarket chain Morrisons as recently as last week.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Dean told DP World Tour. “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.”
The 29-year-old had scraped on to the DP World Tour through qualifying but did not start competing until the Qatar Masters earlier in the month because he did not have the finances to support playing golf around the globe.
“After the last three or four years I never thought I’d get another chance,” Dean said. “Still some gremlins to get past in order to get to my full potential, but like anyone you’ve got to get over them, squash them and keep going.”
“I’ve never been one of the most overconfident 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,” Dean said.
“Luckily, I managed to get over that quickly and figure out how to get around the golf course.”