With inclement weather resulting in Friday’s play being cancelled, the G4D Tour Season Finale @ DP World Tour Championship was reduced to 18 holes at Jumeirah Golf Estates and Brendan Lawlor carded a two-over 74 to finish tied for second, three strokes behind England’s Mike Browne.
A slow start saw the Dundalk man bogey four of the opening five holes, but a birdie at six was offset by another bogey at nine as he made the turn at +4. He settled into the round on the back side, reeling off five consecutive pars before making birdie at 15 and then following with another at the last to leave the G4D Open champion tied alongside World Number One Kipp Popert and Canada’s Kurtis Barkley.
But Browne’s 71 saw him finish three shots clear and the man won his maiden G4D title in Ireland last year was delighted to make an emotional return to the winner’s circle at the Earth course.
“That was a pretty special day,” he said. “The course was playing amazing.
“That one was for my dad. We lost him a year ago.”
Leg-amputee Browne held a one-shot lead after his opening nine holes, with World Number One Kipp Popert and fellow G4D Tour winner David Watts his nearest challengers.
Back-to-back gains at the 11th and 12th extended his advantage to four shots, before he closed with a double bogey after taking shot penalty following his second shot at the par five 18th.
This was the eighth and final event of an expanded second season of the G4D Tour.
During the season, the world’s best golfers with a disability have played at some iconic venues, something that is not lost on Browne.
“You can’t put it into words,” he said, “You are sharing the course with the greats of modern times so I feel very privileged and lucky to get this chance.
“Thank you to everyone who has got me to this point.”
Fellow Englishman Popert, who won four times this season, mixed two birdies with four bogeys to finish at two over, while Lawlor and Barkley made closing birdies to both card a two over par 74.
Popert ends the season top of the G4D Order of Merit, the season-long competition to crown the G4D Tour’s best player, with Dubai champion Browne fifth.
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