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A year on from his win 12 months ago, Englishman Kipp Popert returns to defend his title at The G4D Open this week at Woburn Golf Club.
The Golf Saudi Ambassador, who is the leading player on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), was born with a form of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic Diplegia, and is fit again after foot surgery earlier this year.
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Popert, the World Number One, held his nerve to claim a one-shot victory over Ireland’s Brendan Lawlor and win The G4D Open in 2024 as the then top two players on the WR4GD had a final round showdown in the sun over the Duchess Course with Popert’s closing two-over-par 74 securing a winning total of one-over 217.
The sport class winners at The G4D Open at Woburn – 2024 G4D Open
Established in 2023, the Championship – staged in partnership by The R&A and the DP World Tour and supported by EDGA (formally the European Disabled Golf Association) – is one of the most inclusive ever held.
The G4D Open features nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups, with 80 men and women players of both amateur and professional status competing over Woburn’s renowned Duchess Course. With an age range from 18 to 79, players from 20 countries across the globe are represented, including from Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and the USA.
Contested over three days from Thursday to Saturday and across 54 holes of gross stroke play, there will be overall men’s and women’s winners and a gross prize in each of the sport classes which cover various categories in Standing, Intellectual, Visual and Sitting.
Brendan Lawlor – Getty Images
Irishman Brendan Lawlor, the inaugural winner in 2023 and runner-up to Popert last year, also takes his place in a world-class field. Lawlor, who has a rare condition called Ellis–van Creveld syndrome, characterised by a shorter stature and shorter limbs, and Popert are among 12 of the world’s top 20 players competing at Woburn. Canadian Chris Willis, born with bone issues in the leg, vertebrae and hand, is also taking part again after finishing third last year.
The Netherlands’ Daphne van Houten will aim to defend the women’s crown, with van Houten among 18 women competing – an increase of seven on last year.
Seven Australian players have made the long journey over to Woburn, including the world-ranked number four Lachlan Wood, and four players from Japan. The English pair of Martine and Heather Gilks, who made history last year as the first mother and daughter duo to play in The G4D Open, again tee up.
Dubai-based Zane Scotland, the former Tour professional, is attending the Championship in his role as a diversity ambassador with The R&A and will support a number of off-course activities taking place during the week at Woburn to promote inclusivity in the sport.
Steven Alderson and Kipp Popert – Jumeirah Golf Estates G4D Tour Finale 2024 – Getty Images
The G4D Open is also an event on the G4D Tour, which is operated by the DP World Tour. Launched in 2022, the G4D Tour includes the best-ranked Gross and Net players from the WR4GD and its tournaments are played on the same course, the same week, as flagship DP World Tour events.
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Main Image: The R&A
