Last-Chance Qualifier Final Leaderboard: Joe Dean wins final place at The 154th Open

England's Joe Dean will tee it up at The 154th Open after winning the inaugural Last-Chance Qualifier at Royal Birkdale on Monday.

The Sheffield-born golfer fired a superb two-under-par 68 to claim the final place in the 156-player field, finishing one shot clear of fellow Englishman Andrew Wilson in the winner-takes-all event.

Introduced by The R&A for the first time this year, the Last-Chance Qualifier gave 12 players one final opportunity to book their place in golf's oldest major over 18 holes of Royal Birkdale's famous links.

Dean, 32, kept his composure in warm and breezy conditions, producing one of the rounds of the day to earn his third appearance at The Open. 

He previously made the cut and completed all four rounds at Royal Birkdale in 2017 before returning to the Championship at Royal Troon in 2024, where he finished tied 25th.

Dean's winning round featured two birdies, two bogeys and a spectacular eagle at the par-five 14th, before three composed pars over the closing holes sealed a memorable victory.

South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter finished third on level par, while amateur Sam Easterbrook shared fourth place alongside fellow amateur Matt Moloney and Frazer Jones at one over.

Speaking after securing his place in the field, Dean said: "It was great today. Any opportunity to get in The Open again, I'll gladly 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."

Dean also reflected on the eagle that ultimately proved decisive.

"I just hit a really good drive down the middle, had 250 to the flag straight downwind and probably hit the best 6-iron I've ever hit."

The Last-Chance Qualifier was introduced following fan research conducted by The R&A, with supporters calling for more live golf and additional opportunities to engage with The Open during Championship week.

Following Monday's result, Potgieter and Germany's Matti Schmid are the first two reserves should places become available before Thursday's opening round.

Open Championship Last-Chance Qualifier Final Leaderboard

The Open Championship gets underway at Royal Birkdale on Thursday.

Scottie Scheffler is looking to become the first player to successfully defend the Claret Jug since Padraig Harrington performed the feat at Royal Birkdale in 2008.