SOUTHPORT, England — As the 154th British Open unfolds this week at Royal Birkdale, you’re going to hear a lot about the stars of the show, and rightfully so.
You’re going to hear about world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler trying to be the first to repeat as “Champion Golfer of the World’’ since Padraig Harrington did it in 2008.
You’re going to hear about Tommy Fleetwood, aka “Tommy Lad,’’ who grew up in the shadow of Royal Birkdale and used to sneak onto the course with his father.
You’re going to hear about Rory McIlroy and his pursuit of more major championships.
You’re going to hear about the star LIV Golf players like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau and what they might do if the struggling tour fails to survive.
You’re going to hear about whether an English player can win the Claret Jug on English soil for the first time since Tony Jacklin did it in 1969.
Hopefully, you will also hear about the obscure contestants in the field this week with fascinating storylines.
Hopefully, you’re going to see the likes of three unique players, who powered through qualifying stages to get into the field, taking shots in this Open.
Here are their stories:
• Begin with David Howard, a mechanic from Cork in Ireland who’s persevering through cystic fibrosis as he chases his golfing dreams.
At age 7, Howard was diagnosed with the genetic condition that causes mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system and can be debilitating to the point of severely shortening life expectancy.
“I remember when I first got access to a phone when I was 12, 13, I googled ‘cystic fibrosis life expectancy’ and it was saying mid-20s,” the 27-year-old Howard said this week. “When I was 12 or 13, I didn’t even think I’d live to this age. To be here now, healthy as ever and playing with all these top players, it doesn’t even make sense to me.”
Howard, who estimates he takes “25-30 tablets” per day to “keep me running,” won the 2025 East of Ireland title and that spurred him to enter regional Open qualifying at the Island, one of the best courses in Dublin.
He qualified for the Open 36-hole final qualifying event at Dundonald Links in Scotland and has his father, John, caddying for him this week.
Howard’s magical week at Birkdale began with a Monday practice round alongside Harrington and Shane Lowry, fellow Irishmen who both have won the Open, and Stuart Grehan, the Irishman who clinched the British Amateur title at Hoylake last month.
Howard, ranked 1,441st in the world amateur rankings, was to begin the tournament at 10:42 a.m. local time alongside New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori and England’s Tom Sloman, calling it “surreal.’’
Howard said he’s had some kids afflicted with CF reach out to him since the publicity of his participating in the Open, inspired by his story.
“This is why I do all this stuff for CF Ireland and advocacy, to show them that it’s not the end of the world,’’ he said.
His message: “Keep pushing on, keep fighting and you can follow your dreams too.”
• Joe Dean, a 32-year-old former delivery driver, became the last man in the 156-player field thanks to a new program the R&A instituted this year called the “Last-Chance Qualifier,’’ an 18-hole shootout among 12 players held Monday at Birkdale.
The R&A said it added the last-man-in qualifier after doing a survey of spectators, who wanted more opportunities to see live golf in the practice-round days.
This is the third British Open for Dean, who plays on the DP World Tour and once drove the delivery truck to help him finance being able to play on the pro tour. He finished tied for 70th in the 2017 Open and tied for 24th in 2024.
As of earlier in the week, Dean had no accommodations for the Open and said he was sleeping in his car.
Dean, who grew up two hours from Royal Birkdale in Sheffield, has his fiancée, Emily, caddying for him. They’re getting married Tuesday.
Asked why he’s getting married on a Tuesday, Dean said, “It was cheaper.”
• Matt Baldwin, who also got into the field via final qualifying, is making his fourth appearance at an Open, but this one is particularly special because he’s been a member at Birkdale since he was 17.
“This means everything,’’ Baldwin said before Thursday’s first round, at which he was to hit the opening tee shot at 6:35 a.m. England time. “I’m a Southport lad through and through. This is the ultimate for me. I am 40 years old, so realistically this is my last chance to play at Birkdale [in an Open]. It will be a dream, amazing.’’
