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The G4D Open
Double delight for Lawlor and van Houten with G4D Open victories at Woburn
17 May 25
Long Read
Brendan Lawlor and Daphne van Houten secured G4D Open victories for a second time after both eased to memorable successes at Woburn.
Irishman Lawlor, who won the inaugural staging of the Championship in 2023, again lifted the men’s trophy after a one-over-par final round of 73 for a 54-hole total of three-over 219 and a four-stroke win over Lachlan Wood from Australia. Van Houten enjoyed her own piece of G4D Open history as The Netherlands player defended the women’s title she won 12 months ago thanks to an 11-stroke victory over Germany’s Jennifer Sräga after posting a 250 total. In glorious conditions over the Duchess Course, Lawlor shone from the start of the final round while his closest rivals faltered. The 28-year-old, who has a rare condition called Ellis–van Creveld syndrome, made two birdies in his opening six holes.Solid start from Lawlor
Playing partners Thomas Colombel, the left-hander from France, and Danish teenager Frederik Brokfelt-Christiansen, both dropped early shots, with Colombel’s hopes ultimately ended when he carded a triple bogey eight at the 4th after losing a ball off the tee. Carton House’s Lawlor, who sits third on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), produced a composed display with a run of seven straight pars from the 7th and even a double bogey at the 17th failed to take the shine off his success.
Brendan Lawlor celebrates on the 18th after sealing victory.
“It feels unbelievable,” beamed Lawlor. “I played extremely solid all week. My game is in fantastic shape. It's such a tight course. You can't go in trouble and I stayed out of trouble a lot over the three days. I’m quite proud of my performance today. I was very, very solid and I know Lachlan went on a really good run on the front nine to put a bit of pressure on.
“So I stuck to my guns and kept hitting greens and fairways trying to make par. That's what I did. I had a wee slip-up on the 17th, a hole which hasn't been good to me in the past. But I had a nice buffer and I'm absolutely chuffed.”
Wood bid
Wood, 34, was the player who applied the most pressure to Lawlor. After multiple surgeries on his left leg, Wood impressively made four birdies on the front nine. A double bogey at the par-5 15th proved costly, but Wood held onto the runner-up spot with a closing 71 for seven-over 223 as he built on his tie for fourth place last year. Thomas Blizzard from England and Spain’s Juan Postigo Arce shared third on eight-over 224. Wood said, “I sort of put myself back a long way yesterday. I couldn't get anything going. I battled all day. I put myself back in the pack and I knew I had to do something special today. “The front 12 holes were probably flawless and I think I could have made another four birdies on top of the four I made. I think I had a good plan all week, came here early and did some work. Second place is great and I'm sure everyone is going to be happy for me back home but deep down inside I'm beyond crushed to not win this.”
Lachlan Wood finished in second place.
Women’s event
Van Houten – the leading woman at 27th on the WR4GD – enjoyed a comfortable victory to add to her numerous wins on the EDGA Tour. Born with scoliosis and since faced with other health battles, van Houten, 26, closed with a seven-over 79 which featured birdies at the 10th and 13th. She said, “I'm very proud because this morning I woke up and I said to my boyfriend, ‘I don't know about today’. I didn't feel comfortable, a little fever. But once I got on the course, you go in some kind of focus that you completely forget about all the problems that you have physically. Sometimes I got dizzy and I needed to manage that. “I'm very proud of myself that I finished the round, played good and won. I think Jennifer was a little nervous. I did have a bit of an advantage that I know how it is to play with crowds, live scoring, people watching and the pressure.”
Daphne van Houten won the women's event for the second time.
Sräga takes positives
Sräga, 25, was born with Achondroplasia, commonly called short stature, and enjoyed a strong Championship debut having competed for Germany in the European Team Championship last year. England’s Aimi Bullock finished in third place in the women’s event. “My game was really bad today, especially my putting,” said Sräga. “It's totally my fault. Daphne played really good. Yeah, it was my fault that I am getting second place. I was a little bit nervous, of course, but not much more than the other day. “But it's a huge tournament and I can be happy with second. The women's field is getting bigger. It's also a really great tournament and really well organised. I feel a little professional.”
Jennifer Sraga finished second in the women's event.
Established in 2023, the Championship – held in partnership between 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 staged. The G4D Open featured nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups, with 80 men and women players of both amateur and professional status, aged 18-79, representing 20 countries.
Sport class winners
A gross prize was also awarded in each sport class, covering various categories in Standing, Intellectual, Visual and Sitting.
The men’s gross prize winners were as follows:
The men’s gross prize winners were as follows:
- Intellectual 1: Cameron Pollard, Australia
- Intellectual 2: Thomas Blizzard, England
- Standing 1: Juan Postigo Arce, Spain
- Standing 2: Frederik Brokfelt-Christiansen, Denmark
- Standing 3: Brendan Lawlor, Ireland
- Sitting 2: Richard Kluwen, The Netherlands
- Visual 2: John Eakin, England
- Intellectual 1: Natasha Stasiuk, Canada
- Intellectual 2: Michelle Lau, England
- Standing 1: Alessandra Donati, Italy
- Standing 2: Aimi Bullock, England
- Standing 3: Daphne van Houten, The Netherlands
- Visual 1: Mette Havnaas, Norway
- Visual 2: Charlene Pienaar, South Africa
Each Sport Class winner was celebrated at The G4D Open.
Highlights from the Championship will be aired on Sky Sports Golf later this month. Viewers can also watch features and daily highlights on The R&A's YouTube channel and R&A TV.
Woburn continued 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.
Lawlor added, "It's an unreal championship and I just want to thank Woburn and all the organisers. It's a credit to everyone involved to make this event so special."