Former £85-a-shift Morrisons delivery driver wins British Masters and £440k jackpot with wife as caddie

JOE DEAN has gone from delivering Morrisons shopping for £85 a shift to banking nearly £440,000 as British Masters champion. And new wife Emily was right alongside him for the biggest win of his career as she lugged his clubs around as his caddie. Joe Dean won £440k after securing the British Masters Credit: Shutterstock Editorial But it was not always shiny trophies as he did a big stint as a delivery driver Credit: http://www.itv.com/ On Sunday, Dean, 32, fired a stunning final-round 63 at The Belfry to land his FIRST DP World Tour title. The Sheffield golfer started the day seven shots off the lead and down in 25th after finishing his weather-delayed third round that morning. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! But he then tore through the field with NINE birdies and not a single bogey. Four of those came over his final six holes as Dean even matched the course record and moved to 14-under. That left him facing a gut-wrenching 90-minute wait in the clubhouse with more than half the field still out on the course. But nobody could catch him, with Nacho Elvira, Niklas Norgaard, Jacob Skov Olesen and Daniel Hillier all finishing three shots behind. The massive victory meant that Dean was handed a cheque for £437,000 – more than he had earned across his previous 19 tournaments this season. But it has not always been the high-flying life for Dean and Emily. Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS The British golfer put on a masterclass on the final day to steam ahead of his competitors Credit: Getty Just over two years ago, he could have been spotted delivering your Morrisons shop. Dean turned professional in 2016 but took on the part-time job after Covid wiped out much of the golfing calendar in 2020. He and then-fiancee Emily were also trying to buy a house at the time, and he needed another source of income. In 2024, Dean said: “Golf was a big struggle at the time and there weren’t many opportunities to play. “So it all tied in very well, and I’m very glad she pushed me to do it.” He spent almost FOUR years juggling golf with shifts behind the wheel of a delivery van. But Dean eventually came through all three stages of DP World Tour qualifying school at the end of 2023 to earn his card. But there was another problem. Dean worked in Morrisons for four years alongside his golfing career Credit: Shutterstock Editorial He was forced to get another job if he and his wife-to-be wanted to buy a house Credit: http://www.itv.com/ A week competing on tour could cost around £4,000 once flights, hotels and other expenses were taken into account. And he barely had enough money to actually travel around the world. Dean even missed the opening weeks of the season before scraping together the cash to play the Qatar Masters in February 2024. He missed the cut and was soon back at Morrisons. But his next tournament changed everything. Dean finished joint-second at the Kenya Open and pocketed £170,000 despite beginning the event ranked 2930th in the world. And even after landing the life-changing cheque, he was back delivering shopping just two weeks later. At the time, Dean told ITV: “The money is ridiculous that I won. But [I] was just more focused on the shot at the time. But his big break came at the Kenya Open when he won £170k Credit: http://www.itv.com/ After his latest win, he thanks his new wife Emily for her support Credit: Getty “Just one shot at one time, just keep in the moment and see what happens.” He added: “The money will probably last the rest of this season and maybe next season and that will be it gone. “So if you don’t take the opportunities and you don’t play well it is a big struggle.” Dean need not have worried. He followed his Kenya breakthrough with fifth place at the Soudal Open before losing a three-man play-off at the KLM Open. That run also helped him qualify for The Open at Royal Troon later that summer. Dean has also spoken openly about struggling with severe anxiety around travelling abroad, which once made the idea of playing a full international schedule almost impossible. He turned to hypnotherapy ahead of his trip to Qatar as he tried to get his career properly moving. Dean has been known to talk about his severe anxiety impacting his golfing schedule Credit: Getty Images The British Masters is the first hurdle in making the Ryder Cup team Credit: Getty Images And this summer brought another huge chapter in his story. Dean initially missed out on a place at The Open at Royal Birkdale before winning the tournament’s first Last-Chance Qualifier by a single shot. Emily was on his bag as he grabbed the 156th and final spot in the field – only EIGHT days before they were due to get married. Dean missed the cut by three shots at Birkdale before the couple tied the knot at Hodsock Priory near Worksop four days later. The pair first met as junior golfers and Emily even caddied for Dean when he turned professional in 2016. She returned to her caddy role earlier this summer and was there again when he completed the biggest round of his life at The Belfry. Dean said: “All those painful hours and all the work, it’s finally led to something. “It was a rare day when everything felt right and the putts were dropping and I couldn’t do anything wrong. Dean still keeps in touch with some of his former Morrisons colleagues Credit: Unknown The golf star admitted how magical it felt to be happy with the whole of the final round Credit: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire “To finally get through the entire round and feel good about it is really nice.” And speaking to Sky Sports, he added: “I can’t thank Emily enough for what she has to put up with with me. “I hope I made her proud. “I’m at a loss for words. I think we’re both just really happy and a bit rabbit in the headlights at the minute.” The victory came in his 70th DP World Tour start and sent him flying up the Race to Dubai standings. And Dean has certainly not forgotten his old day job. He still keeps in touch with some of his former Morrisons colleagues and admits the supermarket’s delivery vans catch his eye whenever one passes him. Dean said: “I enjoyed it for most of the time. “Obviously it’s a completely different life, a completely different lifestyle.” Comment now