NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Only a week after he was delivering groceries to make ends meet, the 2,930th-ranked golfer Joe Dean finished tied for second at the Kenya Open on Sunday to earn himself more than $200,000 and a huge shot of confidence for the future.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” the Englishman said. “It’s what people dream of, it’s what I’ve been aiming to do for a long time.”
Dean shot a 4-under 67, including five birdies, to share a second-place finish with Spaniard Nacho Elvira (66) at two shots behind tournament winner Darius Van Driel, who claimed his first European Tour win at age 34.
The 29-year-old Dean had to go back to working for a British supermarket chain after he missed the cut in Doha earlier this month.
“I’ve never been one of the most over-confident people. Coming into this week was a bit daunting,” he said. “Luckily, I managed to get over that quickly and figure out how to get around the golf course.”
Dean and Eliva each won 199,749 euros ($216,200).
Van Driel (67) only had four bogeys throughout the tournament at Muthaiga Golf Club, including one on Sunday. He finished at 14 under overall.
“It means a lot,” Van Driel said about his first title. “I was calm, but once the last putt went in I felt the emotions. I never thought it would hit that hard, but it did.”
Nacho’s younger brother Manuel Elvira (70) was one of three players three shots back.
