Corkman David Howard's Open shot isn't a golf story, it's a life story

David Howard holds up The Open pin flag after qualifying for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale at Dundonald Links in Troon. Pic: Ross Parker/Getty

It has been a memorable couple of weeks for David Howard, even for someone with his remarkable back story, but things are about to become even more special for the Fota Island golfer as he prepares for a major championship debut at The 154th Open Championship on Thursday.

The 27-year-old amateur and 2025 East of Ireland champion from Currabinny, Co. Cork was set to arrive at Royal Birkdale on Monday morning to begin preparations for a week like no other. 

Accompanied by father and caddie John Howard and his coach, Fota Island director of golf Kevin Morris, he had left Cork for Merseyside in the family camper van at 5am on Sunday after a successful week on the course helping Munster win the Men’s Interprovincial Championship at Knightsbrook before playing his part in Fota Island’s run to the Munster Barton Shield final at Tipperary, which took place without him as he crossed the Irish Sea.

Five days of competitive team golf is not your typical pre-Open build-up but then again Howard is not your typical golfer, as Morris explained to the Irish Examiner at Fota last week.

Indeed, Morris, who has known Howard since he was 11, is adamant. Of his pupil’s path to Birkdale, he said: “It’s not a golf story. It’s a life story.” 

The story begins when Howard was seven, with a life-changing diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis, an as yet uncurable condition which causes damage to the lungs, digestive system and other vital organs.

Morris added: “His dad and brothers, I'd say they're here (at Fota) probably the bones of 20 years now. Just after the academy opened, we'd do two nights a week in the winter. Myself and Brian (Kelleher) with the kids.

“And Dave would come to those, but he was just a skinny little kid who'd be in the corner and might hit a couple of shots towards the end of it, but he didn't really have the energy. He just really didn't have the energy, didn't have the strength because of his condition.

“So like he'd be there, but he didn't play a lot. He'd hit a few balls. That'd be about the size of it. He was 11, 12-ish at that stage and the difference, he's 27 now.

“He has the enthusiasm of a 15 or 16 year old. And that's in reality, that's where he is. Because for all intents and purposes, he started golf six years ago. And when you see the enjoyment he gets, it will kind of give you a lesson in life. He loves it.

Howard will be wearing the ribbon of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland when he tees off alongside the game’s greatest this Thursday

“He's seen what it's like not being able to do it, being the kid watching the other lads doing it. So it's just a surreal, incredible story. And one of the nicest kids you would ever meet.

“He has time for everybody. When he's down here, he speaks to every single one of the members. Anybody that has ever done anything for him. He's gone over and said ‘thanks’, ‘can I do anything for you?’ It's very different to how people generally behave but he's somebody who gives back and he's already doing it.

“And the support here for him is incredible. There's got to be at least 100 members going over. The second he came off the golf course in Scotland, people were booking tickets, flights, hotels. So it shows the support from here is enormous.” 

The Scottish golf course was Dundonald Links, where Howard pitched up two weeks ago for Open Final Qualifying. He was only in as a fifth reserve from the regional qualifier at The Island but he made the most of his opportunity, claiming one of the five available places to book his ticket to the oldest major with two strokes to spare.

“I don't think he or anybody else can describe it because when you look at what he's achieved in 18 months, it’s just off the scale,” Morris said.

“The whole thing is surreal, and it's off the charts what the guy has done. I don't think he's grasped reality yet, but he will when he drives into the place.

“This kid is so grounded. I think he'll really enjoy it, he'll embrace it, he really will.” 

Hearing Morris describe the golfer’s journey makes it easy to understand why he has every reason to relish what lies ahead this week.

“He's a full-time amateur but it's not that long ago that he was playing Junior Cup. And not being low enough to get into Munster Stroke Play, handicap wise. And all that's done is he's gone all the way through playing, practicing and steadily improving.

“It was always there that he could win but he didn't quite believe it because the year before (2024) he got into the last group in the East and he struggled in the last day. He learned a lot from that and he realised that that he's good enough to be there. That was the time he realised I can win this, and 12 months later he did.

“I also think he can win any time he tees it up. He's good enough and now he’s starting to make a few putts. He's a phenomenal ball striker and it's just a really simple game.

“Links golf, he plays well. He doesn't care what course he's playing on. Links or parkland. He's grown up on parkland and he's very comfortable to go and play on links. So it doesn't faze him one way or the other, whichever course it's on.

“Like, he’s playing Barton Shield in Tipperary at the weekend but it actually doesn't matter to him. He just gets up and whatever the golf course in front of him, he'll just go and play.” 

Living with CF, however, means just going and playing asks a lot of Howard.

“His life is very different to ours. He gets up every morning and he's got to go through his routine with his body, take his medication. If you sat down here with him for a couple of hours, his phone alarm will go off all the time.

“He's going to take tablets literally all day long. That's every day. It doesn’t matter whether he’s in a tournament or not, it's every day of his life, including in the round. He has got to take his medication.

“Now it's incredible that they've come up with medication that has allowed Dave and people who are fellow sufferers with it to actually live a pretty normal life. But you would never imagine if you looked at Dave, you’d see a strong young kid.

“But his story behind that and what he's done to get there is just, it's incredible. But his day is very different to yours and mine.

“And he needs to be very careful not to get infections because again, you and I, if we get an infection, it can be a day, a week of it. His are different. So it's a constant.

“Like I say, it's a life story. It's not golf. He's just happens to be very, very good at golf. But what it should do is any kid who's suffering with a serious illness, they can look at him and see what's possible.

“I don't understand it. I don't understand how somebody that has to go through what he goes through every day can be that good. But he's infectious about the game.

“The hardest thing to do is to stop him playing. He's not like everybody else. He can’t play 10 tournaments in a row, but it's almost impossible to stop him.” 

It is not just Fota Island members who will have Howard’s back at Birkdale this week. The golfer will be wearing the ribbon of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, the national support organisation for people with CF and their families, when he tees off alongside the game’s greatest this Thursday.

“He's heavily involved with CF Ireland,” Morris said, “because obviously having the condition that he has, he's always had to work hard for everything.

“I think at The Open he's going to have the CF ribbon on and if that can inspire kids, it's an amazing gift to have in your possession, isn't it? If people are looking for a hero, they've got one.

“Unfortunately, there are lots of kids with medical conditions but this is a guy who has as serious a medical condition as this and still has managed to perform at this level.

“I still don't understand how he does it, where the drive is there and he's just taken the whole thing in his stride.”