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The G4D Open
Lawlor and Sräga claim early leads at The G4D Open at Woburn
15 May 25
Long Read
Brendan Lawlor is chasing a second men’s G4D Open title after opening up a two-shot lead on day one at Woburn, with Jennifer Sräga ahead in the women’s event.
Lawlor endured an up-and-down round on a cold, overcast day over the Duchess Course to sign for a level-par 72 in the men’s championship. The Irishman, who has a rare condition called Ellis–van Creveld syndrome, characterised by a shorter stature and shorter limbs, holed from 25 feet on the 1st for one of five birdies but also carded five bogeys. With Kipp Popert, the defending champion and leading player on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), forced to withdraw after foot surgery earlier this year, Lawlor is in command as he aims to emulate his success at the inaugural G4D Open in 2023.Lawlor in-form
“I feel I'm playing the best golf I've kind of played in a long time, especially on the greens,” said Lawlor. “My ball-striking is pretty good enough when I get to tournaments but the greens let me down usually. If I can keep the way I'm putting up for the next two days, hopefully I can go back out and win the trophy. “The weather looks good for the next two days but it could blow. I want to finish the event under par. Probably one or two-over wouldn't be too far away either.”
Brendan Lawlor leads on level par.
Lawlor, 28, is ahead by two strokes from Lachlan Wood from Australia and Danish debutant Frederik Brokfelt-Christiansen, the youngest player in the field, after their two-over-par rounds of 74.
Wood, 34, who tied fourth last year, continues to impress after multiple surgeries on his left leg after a car accident aged 16. Brokfelt-Christiansen, 18, who has scoliosis of the spine, has burst into the top-50 of the WR4GD after a string of good finishes in his early EDGA tournaments. Frenchman Thomas Colombel and England’s Thomas Blizzard sit tied fourth on three-over 75.
Wood in the hunt
Wood said, “I'll take it. It wasn't the best round and I definitely left a few shot outs there but it's in the mix. I thought the sun would burn up the cloud, it would heat up and I would have a shirt on by about the 8th hole. But the jumper stayed on all day. “I'm here to win it, definitely. It's just the putter has got in the way every year. For me, 100 per cent I want to bring the G4D home to Australia. You've got a good mix of eight to ten guys that on any given day they can tear it up.”
Lachlan Wood is two shots off the lead.
Brokfelt-Christiansen added, “It was fun to play. It's a difficult course but it's pretty good. The greens are very firm and I like it around here. I just want to have fun and my overall game was good. I have scoliosis, so a curved back. I don't really feel it when I'm out playing, only when I come home I'm very tired.”
Women’s event
In the women’s field, last year’s winner Daphne van Houten from The Netherlands posted 86, the same mark as England’s Aimi Bullock. However, the pair trail Germany’s Sräga by a shot. Born with Achondroplasia, commonly called short stature, 25-year-old Sräga is making her Championship debut having competed for Germany in the European Team Championship last year. “A member of the German team convinced me to player here, so it's my first time to be in The G4D Open,” said Sräga. “It's a huge event and it's awesome to be here to have such huge players to compete against. I'm really honoured to play for Germany. I want to do my best so everyone can see Germany has good players.”
Jennifer Sräga is top of the women's leaderboard.
Van Houten said, “I am very proud that I won it last year. I hope to do the same this year. It's a beautiful course and that's only making it more exciting to be here again and trying to defend my title. It's nice to see the professional side of it here, like with the caddies, with the ball spotters, with the starters and with the live scoring. Everything is like a higher level, which is very nice to see. I hope that many more championships will be like this one.”
Sport classes
The G4D Open – 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 Championship features nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups, with 80 men and women players of both amateur and professional status representing 20 countries. Contested over three days until Saturday 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. Hayato Yoshida, one of four players from Japan, had the honour of striking the opening tee shot, while Popert caddied for the USA’s Chris Biggins, who carded a 79.
Hayato Yoshida hit the opening tee shot.