JOE DEAN has gone from fearing how he was going to pay his bills to being on the bill at The Open.

The 30-year-old’s budding career came to a screeching halt – as did the entire world – when the pandemic struck in March 2020.

Dean, a former Challenge Tour player in 2019, was forced to quickly reassess his life and pivot to a new form of income after the UK shut down.

And with a little help from his friend’s car detailing business – and Morrisons giving him a job as a delivery driver – he was able to keep a roof over his head.

The delivery driver gig would later fund his pricey flights to DP World Tour events, which he became eligible to compete in last year.

Eventually, he’d have the financial flexibility to compete whenever he pleased – playing at the Qatar Masters last February and the Magical Kenya Open.

And it was in Kenya where his life would change forever, courtesy of a £170,000 runners-up cheque.

“Could I have imagined such a rise?” he told The Metro. “Yes. Was it realistic – maybe not?

“I’d not been playing more than one-day events for a couple of years but I had belief in what I can do and I was comfortable with my home life when I made the jump back out there.

“Me and my fiancée had the house we wanted, and things were steady and think that relaxation was a massive key that freed me up.

“It wasn’t whether I was capable it was more if I had the mental and physical stamina to hang with some of the best players for four long days.

“I knew if I played the good that this was a possibility but expecting all this to happen so quickly it was something completely different.”

Reflecting on the biggest payday of his career, Dean continued: “It was a huge moment for me.

“It wasn’t life-changing, but a massive confidence boost and it put me on the radar with a few more sponsors.

“There’s thousands of pros who are in the same position where they had to get a job to cover bills in tough times so I think my story resonated with a lot of people out there.”

The struggle to attend international events is still at the forefront of Dean’s memory, despite having a newfound financial freedom after pocketing a total of £420,000 from six events.

He said: “When I first turned pro ten years ago, my fiancee was doing a university course so she could travel with me.

“As time went on, I figured out a way to travel to UK events on my own but any travel outside the UK was borderline impossible for me on my own.

“When I got my card in November my first thought was, ‘Oh s**t, what am I going to do. I’ve qualified for the Tour, but I can’t travel.’

“My fiancee can’t quit her job and I wasn’t in the mental state to travel.

“By sheer chance, one of the prizes from topping the 2020 tour’s order of merit was free sessions with a hypnotherapist, so I got in touch with Darren Hirst the hypnotist and he was so calming about the whole thing.

“He promised to get me to a point where I could travel – eight or ten sessions later, me and my caddie Max are on a flight to Qatar and I was absolutely fine.

“I still don’t enjoy it – the travel – but he’s worked wonders given where I was before we started.”

Playing at Royal Troon along with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods is nothing short of a dream come true for Dean, who will rely on his experience playing at Royal Birkdale and YOUTUBE VIDEOS to get a feel for the legendary course.

He said: “Back then I was in a mindset of doing everything possible to get the most out of me which I now know doesn’t work for me.

“I’ll approach this week a lot differently than I did Birkdale.

“I haven’t played link golf so far this season, but it will be about conserving energy and trying to make the most of the experience.

“I never thought I would get this opportunity so I’m just looking to soak it all in.”