David Howard Golf

David Howard is a 27 year old amateur golfer from Currabinny, County Cork, and a Cystic Fibrosis Ireland ambassador. The 2025 East of Ireland champion qualified for and played the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, closing his major debut with a second-round 69 to miss the cut by two, his father John caddying throughout.

David Howard is a 27-year-old amateur golfer from Currabinny, County Cork, playing out of Fota Island Golf Club. Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at seven, he worked for five years as a mechanic at Audi Cork before going full-time in 2024. He won the 2025 East of Ireland Championship at Baltray and earned his first Irish cap. As first reserve at Final Qualifying, Howard shot 69 and 71 at Dundonald Links to reach the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, where he opened with 74 and closed with a second-round 69, missing the cut by two after needing an eagle at the last for the Silver Medal. His father, John, caddies for him, and he has represented Cystic Fibrosis Ireland as an ambassador since 2024.

David Howard went undiagnosed for seven years of his life, until his mother Eithna's persistence produced the answer: cystic fibrosis. Childhood in Currabinny, County Cork became hospital stays, missed school and a routine of around thirty tablets a day. At twelve he googled the condition and read a life expectancy of mid-twenties. He is twenty-seven now, an Open Championship competitor and South of Ireland semi-finalist. Golf began as pitch and putt with his father John and his brothers, Jack, a PGA professional. In 2019 he beat his dad in the final of the Muskerry Junior Scratch Cup. For five years he worked as a mechanic at Audi Cork, playing championships around the day job in 2023 before going full time in 2024. Three years ago his handicap was not low enough for the Munster Strokeplay field. In June 2025 he won the East of Ireland Championship at Baltray and earned his first Irish call up, and in 2026 was named to Golf Ireland’s high performance panel. He reached Final Qualifying for The Open as first reserve after a playoff at The Island, travelling to Scotland by ferry with John, who caddies, in the camper van they call the Wanderly Wagon. At Dundonald Links on 30 June 2026 he shot rounds of 69 and 71 to finish four under and tied second, qualifying for the 154th Open with two shots to spare. At Royal Birkdale he opened with 74 and came back with a Friday 69, four birdies against the field, and stood in the 18th fairway needing an eagle to make the cut and win the Silver Medal as leading amateur. He finished two short, with the fourth-longest drive of the championship, 385 yards, and the sixth-best par-four scoring in the field. An ambassador for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland since 2024, he covered 65 kilometres on the golf course for the 65 Roses challenge, raising thousands for the cause. His mission is simple: to show every child growing up with CF that anything is possible.