Despite carding three rounds under par Brendan Lawlor was powerless to prevent Kipp Popert from storming to the US Adaptive Open title at Sand Creek Station.
Lawlor finished in third place on nine-under-par after rounds of 69, 68 and 70 with Popert on top at fourteen-under, four shots clear of Kprea’s Simon Seungmin Lee in second.
The Carton House man may have been pipped by Popert again but he was delighted with how his US Adaptive Open debut went.
“Yeah, such a good week. The hospitality, the people, the course itself was incredible.
“I’ve extremely enjoyed every minute of it. Playing some really good golf. Usually if I shoot 9-under in a tournament it’s not too far away. Kipp just blew the field away this year. He was unreal. I am really excited to come back next year.”
Lawlor did come away with first place in the short stature impairment category but next year he hopes to come away with the main event.
“I’m delighted. Obviously I want to win the main one. That’s my main goal. I think the categories are fantastic. It gives a lot of people a chance to win their own thing. Yeah, just hope the game keeps growing and moving forward the way it’s going.”
For Popert, this isn’t new territory. The Englishman won the 2nd U.S. Adaptive Open held at Pinehurst No. 6 course in 2023.
With rounds of 65-66-71, Popert adds another U.S. Adaptive Open trophy to his shelf and becomes the first overall winner in either the men’s or women’s categories to go back-to-back.
Popert, 26, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth and competes in the Neurological Impairment category.
This victory follows a strong stretch of play for Popert who adds this to his G4D Open title which he won at Woburn.
“I would say just winning is – I guess people consider it hard,” said Popert after his victory. “I consider it fun. I enjoy all of the pressure. As I say, I made double down 10 but I was like, all right, let’s go show them we’re still winning this thing despite a little trip. Yeah, very proud of myself.
“When I’m 70 years old with a bottle of wine, I’m hoping and working towards being recognized as a great of the game, so I’ve got a lot more to achieve.”
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