Kipp Popert edged out Brendan Lawlor to claim at Woburn; Chris Willis finished third ahead of Wayne Perske and Lachlan Wood; Daphne van Houten was crowned the women's champion; watch highlights later this month on Sky Sports Golf
Friday 17 May 2024 21:52, UK
World No 1 Kipp Popert came through a final-round tussle with Brendan Lawlor to claim a dramatic one-shot victory in The G4D Open at Woburn.
The top two players on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) had a final-day showdown in the sun over the Duchess Course with Popert's closing two-over-par 74 on Friday enough to end the week on one over.
Popert, who has cerebral palsy, was edged out by Lawlor in last year's inaugural championship but this time the 25-year-old prevailed to secure a 10th G4D Tour title.
Ireland's Lawlor, who has a rare condition called Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, put up a stout defence but was made to rue mistakes as he finished with a four-over 76 for 218.
"It's great to win," Popert said. "I was playing well coming into this week but I didn't really have my A-game the first day. It was nice to come out on top at the end of the week in the battle with Brendan."
Lawlor held a slender one-shot lead overnight and doubled his advantage in the glorious conditions with a birdie at the opening hole, only to find trouble on the par-threes and double both the second and the seventh.
Popert edged ahead with a birdie at the eighth but had difficulties of his own at the par-four ninth, posting a double bogey, with Lawlor also dropping a shot to leave them tied for the lead at the turn.
Popert's birdie at the 10th and Lawlor's back-to-back bogeys saw the world's best player go three clear, only for a bogey from the leader at the next and brilliant birdies from Lawlor at the 15th and 16th bringing the duo back level.
Lawlor caught his approach shot heavy at the 17th which led to an untimely bogey, dropping him one behind, before Popert coolly holed from two feet for a winning par at the last.
"It's a tough one, tough to take," Lawlor said. "I went two ahead early on but I just kept hitting ropey shots, just not usually what I do. When I went three behind on the 14th, I said, 'right, it's time to fight now'.
"I wanted to defend, wanted to try and win it. But unfortunately I duffed my 9-iron on 17 and made bogey. I got some mud in my eye from the second shot and it affected the putt I would say. But Kipp did the business today. I had two doubles on par-threes and that's inexcusable."
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. It featured nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups, with 80 men and women players of both amateur and professional status.
Dutch player Daphne van Houten - the leading woman at 25th on the WR4GD - was crowned the Women's Champion. Van Houten, 25, who suffers from scoliosis, finished 17 shots clear of England's Aimi Bullock.
Highlights from the Championship will be aired on Sky Sports Golf from Monday May 27 at 5pm and throughout that week. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.
