For the second year in a row, Kipp Popert and Kim Moore have each won the U.S. Adaptive Open Championship at Woodmont County Club in Rockville, Maryland.
With coverage on Golf Channel and crowds following players from hole to hole, the increasingly popular tournament is conducted by the United States Golf Association for golfers with physical, intellectual and sensory impairments.
“They’ll beat your typical club member at the club, any day of the week,” said Ford Martin, from Potomac, who finished in a tie for 10th place, shooting even par for three rounds.
“It’s amazing to see how they do it 鈥� the level of play is just unfathomable to most people.”
Martin now lives in Nashville and said, “The exposure we’re getting through Woodmont and the Golf Channel and the USGA has been amazing.”
Three-time defending champion Kipp Popert, of England, finished the three rounds at 18-under-par.
“For people who are looking to getting into golf and have a disability, the future is bright,” said Popert, speaking to 小萝莉影视 contributor Joe Yasharoff.
“I didn’t have disabled golf growing up 鈥� it only came about when I was 22.”
Popert said the opportunity to compete has many benefits for younger players. Popert was born with cerebral palsy and underwent several surgeries on his lower body.
“Disabled golf has helped me be more confident and more accepting of myself,” he said. “I think if I’d had it when I was seven, eight, nine, then years old, that could have been really powerful.”
The women’s repeating champion, Moore, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, shot three rounds of 76 for a six-stroke victory.
“Just look at everybody out here,” she enthused. “We had three hours of live coverage on the Golf Channel, with everyone giving it their all.”
Moore was born without a right foot and wears a prosthetic.
“The message is, ‘Just give it a try. Get out here and attempt, and you never know what can happen,'” Moore said.
Moore said learning to play golf well “takes some work, and it takes some dedication.”
“It’s an adaptable game and it’s something that we all can play,” she said. “Just get off the chair, give it a shot, and hopefully you’ll be out here on a golf course like Woodmont.”
According to the USGA, the following players took home medals for being the winners of their respective categories:
- Coordination Impairment:聽Bailey Bish, Tucson, Arizona. (women); Kipp Popert, England (men)
- Intellectual Impairment:聽Sunyoung Kim, Republic of Korea (women);聽Simon Lee, Republic of Korea (men)
- Lower Limb Impairment:聽Kim Moore, Fort Wayne, Indiana (women); Lachlan Wood, Australia (men)
- Multiple Limb Amputee:聽Rose Veldman, Los Angeles, California (women); Jordan Thomas, Nashville, Tenn. (men)
- Seated Players:聽Annie Hayes, Lee, Massachusetts (women); Max Togisala, Ogden, Utah (men)
- Short Stature:聽Brendan Lawlor, Ireland (men)
- Upper Limb Impairment:聽Sophia Howard, Hudsonville, Michigan (women); Justin Carlock, Eaton, Colorado (men)
- Vision Impairment:聽Amanda Cunha, Kaneohe, Hawaii (women); Kiefer Jones, Canada (men)
