Only last month, David Howard and his father drove past the gates of Royal Birkdale on their way to the nearby Hoylake for the British Amateur Championship. Howard had never attended an Open Championship, so they stopped to glimpse the grandstands. A few weeks later, Howard and his campervan returned through the same gates—this time as a competitor. The 1,456th-ranked amateur golfer had qualified for the tournament for the first time.
Yet this story represents just one chapter in Howard's improbable journey. Howard has cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic condition causing thick mucus buildup in the lungs and digestive system, leading to severe infections and difficulty absorbing nutrients. Diagnosed at age seven—late for CF—the reality struck in his early teens when he researched his life expectancy and discovered he might die in his mid-20s.
Overcoming a grim prognosis
“It’s mad to even look back and think about those days,” Howard told Metro. “It’s tough to think back to now, thinking back to probably the lowest moment of my life to now being past the mid-20s, playing good golf and living a bit of my dream.”
Howard still takes up to 30 tablets daily to manage his condition, which has stabilized greatly in the last seven years thanks to modulators that thin lung mucus. He also ingests digestive enzymes with every meal because his pancreas cannot break down food. He credits Cork University Hospital’s cystic fibrosis team for helping him chase his dream. Recently, they have managed back issues he believes stem from violent coughing fits caused by CF when he was younger.
Pandemic psychosis and a new direction
The toughest year came during the coronavirus pandemic, when Howard hid from friends and family out of fear of catching the virus, to which his condition made him more vulnerable. What started as sensible caution spiraled into ten days without food or sleep, leading to a manic episode and psychosis. He was hospitalized but weeks later could not get out of bed.
Those dark moments led Howard to leave his job as an Audi mechanic and pursue golf full-time. “After that kind of experience, and I suppose my whole life with CF and everything, I decided I didn’t want to live any regrets down the line,” he said. In 2023, he played his first championship, having reached a decent level with little effort while working full days at Audi Cork and practicing until 10 p.m.
Breakthrough and Open qualification
A breakthrough win came at the 2025 East of Ireland Championship while sleeping in the car park of County Louth. Still, the 27-year-old amateur considered returning to his mechanic job. Those doubts evaporated after a late call-up to an Open final qualifying event at Dundonald Links, where he shot rounds of 69 and 71 to finish joint second and earn his spot at Birkdale.
“I haven’t had much time to think about it properly, but it’s going to be a great week,” Howard said. “It’s still hard to believe that I’ll be playing in The Open, to be honest. Last year and this year, I have had thoughts of going back to being a mechanic, so I don’t think The Open was on the trajectory. It’s unbelievable.”
Inspiring others with CF
Howard hopes his presence can inspire others with cystic fibrosis. “Hopefully that they can look at me and see that they can achieve their goals and dream seriously to put their mind to,” he said. “It just goes to show that it’s not the end of the world, as bad as it can be.”
After qualifying with his father on the bag, Howard turned down offers from tour caddies to continue with his dad. He is not lowering expectations: “I’m not there just to make up numbers, I’m trying to go into the week thinking that I’m going to try my best to keep it as a normal tournament. We’ll just take it one shot at a time and see where that leaves me on Friday and hopefully that gets me through to Sunday. Let’s aim for the Claret Jug and see where we go from there.”
