Golf is open to all
The G4D Open
Leading golfers with disabilities return to Woburn for third staging of The G4D Open
13 May 25
Long Read
Many of the world’s most talented golfers with disabilities will return to compete in the third staging of The G4D Open this week at Woburn (15-17 May).
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.Popert returns
A year on from his win 12 months ago, Englishman Kipp Popert returns to defend the men’s title. The leading player on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), who was born with a form of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic Diplegia, is fit again after foot surgery earlier this year. 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.
Chris Willis finished third in 2024.
Willis, 44, said, “Each year I come back, the quality of golf is better and better. The players show up ready. What this (Championship) is doing is providing competitive motivation for the golfing community. Golf is fun for everybody, but tournament golf is addictive – and having this outlet for competitive golfers is making a real impact.
“I hope to do very well again. I like the little upswing I am on and I have played against the best players. I feel my game stacks up well in terms of ball striking and decision making.”
Increase in women players
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. Norway’s Mette Havnaas, 57, said, “I’m looking forward to making my debut in the Championship. It will be very exciting for us (Mette is blind and assisted by her ‘guide’, caddie and husband Birger) meeting new players and also the friends we have already made in EDGA events. We are very proud to play in The G4D Open, to fly the flag for Norway and for people who are visually impaired. “We really love enjoying the nature around us and competition is fun, but I can get a little nervous at times and I know that will be the case at Woburn.”
Mette Havnaas with her 'guide', caddie and husband Birger.
Another making their bow in the Championship is England’s Carol Grinnell.
The 79-year—old said, “I don't care how far the others drive the ball because I know that at the end of the day we've all got to get that ball into the hole in our own way.
“Since my accident (in 2017 Carol lost her left foot in a boating accident) I have been inspired by playing with golfers with far more complex amputations and other serious conditions; highly resilient people who put my injury into perspective.”
Players from across the globe
Seven Australian players have made the long journey over to Woburn, including the world-ranked number four Lachlan Wood, and three players from Japan. Japan’s Hayato Yoshida, 41, remarked, “Golf is my reason for living. It is a place where I can express myself. I chose golf because it is very good for rehabilitation (Hayato had his right leg amputated from the thigh down after a motorcycle accident). Delving into how my body responds to movement has become a rehabilitation for me. Above all, I enjoy improving. “I finished 21st at Woburn last year, but this year I'm thinking about the course and adjusting my club settings to achieve better results.″
Hayato Yoshida finished 21st last year.
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.
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.
Free entry for spectators
Spectators are encouraged to attend at Woburn for The G4D Open, with attendance and car parking free of charge. Woburn continues its rich history of hosting amateur and professional championships with Final Qualifying for The Open from 2014 to 2017 and most recently the AIG Women's Open in 2019, both played on the Marquess Course. The establishment of The G4D Open follows on from the inclusion of the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities into the Rules of Golf and The R&A and USGA’s on-going administration of the WR4GD. 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.
Bradley Smith will be in action at Woburn.
Bradley Smith, 30, a professional from England added, “I've said this before but I’m happier now than I was when I had both my legs (Bradley is a below-the-knee amputee). If I had both my legs, I’d still be happy, but I wouldn’t have been able to go to the places I’ve been able to in G4D events.
“Playing at Wentworth, playing in Singapore and a few other places is something that I don’t think would have ever happened for me. I never thought I'd be hitting balls right next to Ryan Fox, with Rory McIlroy just three or four spots down from me on the range. It was crazy, a surreal experience.”