Golfer tees off at Open - and ties knot with caddie

When Sheffield golfer Joe Dean realised he had missed the cut at the British Open last Friday, he didn't dwell on the disappointment for too long.

For one thing, he did amazingly well to even be competing at the Royal Birkdale course after squeaking through by one shot as the first-ever "Last Chance Qualifier".

Also, he was getting married on Tuesday. To his caddie.

Dean married his long-term partner Emily Lyle in a quiet ceremony at Hodsock Priory near Worksop and admits it was "more nerve wracking" than teeing off at the Open.

"We were outside at the altar and I was literally fine all morning but then waiting for Emily it felt like an eternity."

The tranquil countryside setting on the Nottinghamshire border was a far cry from the drama of Royal Birkdale the previous weekend when the couple had a "mad scramble" to find a local Airbnb to house them in Southport for the prestigious tournament.

It was only Dean's third time competing at the British Open - and his most dramatic after he initially failed to qualify.

But he was given a lifeline through a victory in the off-qualifier against 11 other players on the Monday before the tournament.

As recently as 2024 the Yorkshireman had even supported himself as a Morrisons delivery driver.

His long-term partner Lyle had "carried the bag" for him as caddie from the very beginning after they met as aspiring junior golfers.

He had sent her a text asking if he could be her "girlfriend" over the Christmas holidays.

Eleven years later at Christmas, he asked her again for permission, this time to be his wife.

Their professional relationship has up to now worked well too.

Dean, 32, said: "I'm quite an independent golfer so the more input someone has on me the more I don't trust myself and that's when I start doubting and questioning and stuff and I don't really play well.

"Emily gets that and knows I don't really want lots of input."

Both concede that there are times when the dynamic on the course has put a "strain" on the relationship.

"The amount of times which is fun being out there is unfortunately very minimal so when I come off that golf course I try and flick a switch and say 'I'm not a golfer'," Dean says.

Lyle adds: "On the course he'll sometimes talk about the shot to me, but he doesn't want a response from me.

"He's just talking out loud. I get that. It's very, very rare I'll butt in and say anything.

"It can be really difficult to separate your emotions on the course with your emotions at home and that is something we struggled with. I understood it as a golfer myself.

"We've never been in a position where we've ever thought about separating or it's never got that bad. You just sit in your room together, literally miserable."

When Dean missed the cut on Friday at the Open by just three shots, Lyle said there was only "one good thing" to come out of it.

"I'm terrible at leaving things to the last minute so suddenly when he was out on Friday I was gutted for him but it meant I could finally do the DIY bits for the wedding like the name-place cards and menu bits for the table."

The couple's first dance was to a Callum Scott song and Dean said although golf was kept "out of the wedding", there was one exception.

"My mother-in-law hired a nine-hole crazy golf course for the guests to have a go at. I was useless," he laughs.

"I think I came last."

Lyle admits to "struggling" in the days immediately after the wedding.

"It's been pretty hectic, which I think contributed to the emotion afterwards. I felt a little low, I think. It's all gone and done now, and I just want to do it again."

Travelling around the world on the European tour has left the couple keen to avoid further airports so a possible honeymoon to the Lake District or to the Cotswolds is on the cards, with their two dogs - a West Highland Terrier called Kim and a miniature Labradoodle called Sadie.

Then the treadmill of the tour begins again with upcoming trips to Denmark, Scotland and Switzerland.

So will Mr and Mrs Dean continue their professional relationship? Certainly until the end of the season but the golfer is philosophical about what the future brings.

"I know Emily really wants kids and I want kids. I really enjoy my lifestyle at the minute and the freedom I have but at the same time there's only so much that golf can fill within your life and my coach always says to me never let the game define who you are.

"We're sort of getting to a point where we do need something else in life that makes our life more meaningful because like I said golf's great but I don't I don't want my life to be golf, be all and end all, I want something else."

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