Many of the world’s most talented golfers with disabilities will return to compete in The G4D Open this week at Woburn from 15 – 17 May.
The G4D Open is one of the most inclusive events ever staged, held in partnership between The R&A and the DP World Tour, and supported by EDGA (formally the European Disabled Golf Association).
Now in its second year, the Championship features nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups.
Contested over three days from Wednesday to Friday and across 54 holes of gross stroke play, there will be an overall winner, an opposite sex winner and a gross prize in each of the sport classes which cover various categories in Standing, Intellectual, Visual and Sitting.
Who’s playing in the G4D Open?
Taking on Woburn’s renowned Duchess Course, 80 elite men and women – both amateur and professionals – will compete in the 2024 G4D Open. They range from 15 to 68 years old, and represent a total of 19 countries from across the globe, including Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and the USA.
A year on from his historic win in the inaugural Championship, Brendan Lawlor takes his place in the world class field. Lawlor, 27, edged out Kipp Popert to win by two shots last May and arrives ranked second on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD).
Lawlor, who has a rare condition called Ellis–van Creveld syndrome, characterised by a shorter stature and shorter limbs, and Popert, are among 14 of the world’s top 20 players competing at Woburn, including all of the top five.
England's Popert – a nine-time winner on the G4D Tour who was born with a form of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic Diplegia – is the world number one.
Daphne van Houten is the leading female golfer, with the Dutch player ranked 25th in the world.
Australia’s Wayne Perske – who played in The Open in 2006 before battling severe back problems – makes his debut, having won the inaugural Scottish Open for Golfers with a Disability on Friday.
The English pair of Martine and Heather Gilks will make history as the first mother and daughter duo to play in The G4D Open.
Catch the action up close
Spectators are welcome to attend at Woburn for The G4D Open, with attendance and car parking free of charge.
The establishment of The G4D Open follows on from the inclusion of the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities in the Rules of Golf and The R&A and USGA’s ongoing administration of the WR4GD.
Read more about The G4D Open >
