Joe Dean, a golfer, who won Ksh31 million in Kenya has gone back to his previous supermarket delivery job in the UK despite securing a relatively substantial package.
The 29-year-old from Sheffield while speaking to UK-based ITV news, revealed that the success on February 25, felt strange to him adding that he was only focused on making the shot at the Kenya Golf Open competition.
"The money is ridiculous that I won. But I was just more focused on the shot at the time. Just one shot at a time, just keep in the moment and see what happens," he stated.
He noted that he would continue to juggle both the supermarket delivery job and his golfing career. Dean added that the winnings were enough to cater for his needs until the next season.
According to the golfer, his fiancee has been an inspiration in his career, especially after the pandemic. The sportsperson revealed that his girlfriend had encouraged him to take more shifts at the supermarket.
"It could be another month or so before my next start. My fiancee, may kick me back here and tell me to get some shifts in rather than sit on the settee," he emphasised.
Another reason why Dean is keen to continue with his previous job is the scarcity of sponsorship especially for budding golfers.
His manager, Peter Jones, explained that golfers who are on lower levels have a hard time securing sponsorship. Jones appealed for help from companies to allow Dean and other golfers to fulfil their potential.
"It's only top golfers that don't need the sponsorship and unfortunately those are the ones that the sponsorship easily," he added.
During the competition held in Kenya, Dean finished in second position and is ranked in position 2,930 globally.
Instructively, Dean used to golf but stopped in 2020 due to the pandemic. At the time, he never thought he would get another chance to play let alone win. After the win, he noted that he still had a long way to realise his full potential but exuded confidence that he was up to the task.
"I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. It’s what people dream of, it’s what I’ve been aiming to do for a long time," he added.
