'I didn't think I'd live to this age' - Howard's inspiring journey to The Open
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- David Howard, a trained mechanic from county Cork, qualified for The Open at Royal Birkdale by carding rounds of 69 and 71 to finish joint second on four under at 36-hole final qualifying at Dundonald Links, with his father John on the bag.
- Howard was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age 7 and told BBC Sport NI that at 12 or 13 he googled the condition's life expectancy and found it said "mid-20s," adding "I didn't even think I'd live to this age."
- Howard takes 25-30 tablets daily to manage his condition and credits new medication in 2018 as "life-changing," though during Covid cocooning he suffered a psychotic/manic episode that put him in hospital for two weeks.
- Howard is the 2025 East of Ireland champion, plays out of Fota Island Golf Club, and ranks 1,441st in the world amateur rankings, having only seriously taken up golf in his late teens.
- Howard played a Monday practice round at Birkdale with Irish major winners Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry, both past Claret Jug holders, ahead of his Thursday tee time at 10:42 BST alongside Kazuma Kobori and Tom Sloman.
- Howard said his Open debut will be worthwhile if it inspires other people with cystic fibrosis to chase their dreams, telling families who have reached out: "You can follow your dreams too."
Why it matters: Howard's appearance transforms an already exclusive field of 156 Open competitors into a platform for cystic fibrosis advocacy — he has already been contacted by parents of children with CF and says CF Ireland will use his story to show young patients that diagnosis is "not the end of the world," a message amplified by a Monday practice round with Harrington and Lowry that broadcast his journey into mainstream golf coverage.
