England's Joe Dean wins last-chance Open qualifier

Field Level Media|published: Mon 13th July, 12:37 2026

Jul 13, 2026; Southport, England; Joe Dean poses with an eighteenth hole flag alongside the Claret Jug as he wins the Last Qualifier for The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

England's Joe Dean, ranked No. 268 in the world, will compete in the 154th Open Championship after winning the inaugural Last Chance Qualifier on Monday.

The 32-year-old DP World Tour member carded a 2-under 68 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club to claim the final spot in the 156-man field in Southport, England.

"Any opportunity to get in The Open again, I'll gladly turn up and play," Dean said. "One-day events, I seem to play better. I don't quite know why, the mentality of trying to keep the same throughout any round and every round."

Fellow Englishman Andrew Wilson placed second in the 12-man field Monday at 1-under and Aldrich Potgieter of South Africa finished third at even par.

Dean took the lead with an eagle on the par-5 14th hole, where his approach shot from 250 yards stopped 3 feet from the cup.

"(I) just probably hit the best 6-iron I've ever hit," Dean said. "Fortunately, (the) wind caught it and it bounced pretty good. We didn't hear anything from the grandstands, but I don't know if we were too far away to hear anything."

Potgieter needed a birdie at the 18th to match Dean and force a playoff, but his approach found a greenside bunker and he made a bogey.

Dean is making his third appearance in The Open after finishing T70 at Royal Birkdale in 2017 and T25 at Royal Troon in Scotland in 2024.

--Field Level Media

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