THE first victory of Open Championship week has gone to a Yorkshireman after Joe Dean won the inaugural last chance qualifier on Monday to sneak into the field for the year’s final major at Royal Birkdale.

The 32-year-old third-year DP World Tour pro, who was driving a supermarket delivery truck before he made it onto the top circuit, prevailed in a 12-man, 18-hole shootout for the last spot in the Open.

He did so with his fiance Emily on the bag. They get married next Tuesday.

Dean hit the front towards the end of his front nine at Birkdale on Monday morning, established a three-shot lead with an eagle on the 14th, and even when he saw that whittled down to one, kept his composure to finish with successive pars to post a two-under-par total of 68.

Joe Dean of England poses for a photo whilst holding up the pin flag from the 18th green with his partner, Emily Lyle alongside The 154th Open Championship trophy after he qualifies for the tournament on the 18th green following the Last-Chance Qualifier, prior to The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Monday (Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

placeholder image — Joe Dean of England poses for a photo whilst holding up the pin flag from the 18th green with his partner, Emily Lyle alongside The 154th Open Championship trophy after he qualifies for the tournament on the 18th green following the Last-Chance Qualifier, prior to The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Monday (Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

As he sat in the clubhouse, only Aldrich Potgieter - a winner on the PGA Tour last year - could deny him but the South African found the greenside bunker chasing the birdie he needed to force a play-off, and couldn’t get up and down.

Dean had earned his place in the last chance qualifier through his DP World Tour ranking. It was his second shot at qualifying outright having been pipped on the second play-off hole at West Lancs in final qualifying earlier this month, after coming up short by a shot in the gruelling 36-hole event.

But this second chance he has seized and he now takes his place in an Open for the third time, teeing off alongside 2016 champion Henrik Stenson and American Max Homa in the fourth group out at 7.08am on Thursday.

His achievement takes the number of Yorkshire players contesting this year’s Open at Southport to seven, alongside the Fitzpatrick brothers Matt and Alex, PGA Tour players John Parry and Dan Brown, plus Dan Bradbury and qualifier Sam Bairstow.

Joe Dean of England shakes hands with Amateur, Frazer Jones of England after prevailing against him and the 12-man field in the Last-Chance Qualifier for the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale (Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

“It was great today. Any opportunity to get in The Open again, I'll glady turn up and play.

“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. I don't know if I got used to it a bit more and it was sort of just a one-round shoot-out.

“To see the amount of people out here today, it's been great. I think it has drawn a lot more people.”

On his eagle, he added, “I just hit a really good drive down the middle, had 250 to the flag straight down wind and just probably hit the best 6-iron I've ever hit.”