Popert holds off Lawlor to win G4D Open at Woburn
Kipp Popert underlined his status as the world’s leading golfer with a disability by holding off second-ranked Brendan Lawlor to win the G4D Open at Woburn.
England's Popert started the final round one behind defending champion Lawlor but his two-over 74 was enough to win by one stroke.
"It’s great to win," said Popert who has cerebral palsy.
"It was nice to come out on top at the end of the week in the battle with Brendan.
"I won the US Adaptive Open last year with the USGA so I've now got both at the same time. I’m pretty excited to get home and put them next to each other.”
Lawlor birdied the first to move two shots clear but double bogeys on the par three second and seventh holes derailed the Irishman, while Popert birdied the eighth to move one clear.
However, Popert dropped two shots at the ninth and Lawlor bogeyed it to leave the players tied on one over par with nine to play.
Popert was three shots ahead after the 14th but Lawlor fought back to be level after 16 holes, However, the world number two made a costly bogey on the 17th and Popert parred the last to win the second staging of the championship.
"It’s a tough one to take," said Lawlor, who has a rare condition called Ellis-van Creveld syndrome that is characterised by a short stature and short limbs.
"I went two ahead early on but I just kept hitting ropey shots. 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 nine-iron on 17 and made bogey."
Dutch player Daphne van Houten, who suffers from scoliosis, was crowned the women’s champion.
The championship was held in partnership between the DP World Tour and the R&A and supported by EDGA - formally the European Disabled Golf Association. It featured 80 men and women, aged 15-68, playing in nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups.
A gross prize was also awarded in each sport class, covering various categories in standing, intellectual, visual and sitting.
Men’s gross prize winners:
Intellectual 1: Cameron Pollard, Australia
Intellectual 2: Thomas Blizzard, England
Standing 1: Juan Postigo Arce, Spain
Standing 2: Kipp Popert, England
Standing 3: Brendan Lawlor, Ireland
Sitting 1: Terry Kirby, England
Sitting 2: Richard Kluwen, Netherlands
Visual 1: Paul O’Rahilly, Ireland
Visual 2: John Eakin, England
Women's gross prize winners:
Intellectual 2: Erika Malmberg, Sweden
Standing 1: Alessandra Donati, Italy
Standing 2: Aimi Bullock, England
Standing 3: Daphne van Houten, Netherlands
