Kipp Popert swung his club, got behind the ball, took it back and hit it forward, then watched his shot sail into the fairway before reaching down to grab his tee and walk over to his caddy. A gallery clapped around him. He was out. On a beautiful host course in Austria, he was playing his first DP World Tour event.
He smiled and if you even knew how he got to this point, you felt the corners of your mouth crack upwards.
Popert is one of the best handicap players in the world. Diagnosed with a form of cerebral palsy that affects his lower body – “basically if you’re going to do a calf raise at the gym, that’s how my calves are all the time.” he said tour social media account – The 27-year-old Englishman has won handicap golf events around the world. Last year, he won the US Adaptive Open for the third consecutive year. In 2022, he played in the R&A Amateur Championship. But until Thursday, he had never played on the European Tour before.
Then came an invitation to this week’s Austrian Alpine Open, although the weeks leading up to the event have been difficult, following the recent closure of the DP World Tour’s Golf for the Disabled. He had played for four seasons and Popert was a 15-time winner. Of course, there was more to it than that, Popert said in a story written earlier this month by The Caregivers Ewan Murray (which you can read here).
Popert wondered about future Kipp Poperts.
“In order for children to see the future and to have inspiration on difficult days, the best players in the world must be able to play regularly for a living,” Popert said in Guardian history. “This is what the DP World Tour set out to achieve and we are all very grateful. It is a shame that the sport has come to a standstill for now.
“Performance sells sport. When you look at men’s or women’s able-bodied sports, it’s the elite side of it that creates opportunities at the grassroots. The narrative of inclusivity is amazing, but it has to be understood that bringing the best players together is what brings the wow factor and we hope to sponsor.”
Looking ahead, DP World Tour said at Guardian history would host the annual G4D Open, along with an event ahead of next year’s Ryder Cup, and Popert will play where he can, and that’s where he was this week, among the best in the world. During Thursday’s first round, he birdied his first hole and made three birdies on the back nine, including one on the 12th hole on a 44-foot putt that drew a fist pump. Five bogeys and a double bogey stung, and he finished with a five-over 75. On Friday, Popert bogeyed the 11th hole, his second of the day after starting on the back nine. He swallowed three more.
But he also birdied the 14th hole after hitting his approach to 7 feet.
And he went for 16, after his par-3 shot ended up on the left side of the green.
And he made that first hole, after dropping his second shot to 6 feet.
And he birdied the 3rd hole, a 12-foot putt.
And he almost eagle the 8th hole. His second shot, from the fairway, bounced a few times onto the green, then his ball hit the center of the flagstick, finishing just inches short.
All told, that was five birdies, four bogeys and nine pars. One under 69 years old. That wasn’t good enough to make the weekend. But it was good.
Moments later, Popert posted on his Instagram account. It was from Anglia Golf, congratulating him. There was also a photo.
He was smiling.
“Yes,” Popert said on the tour’s social media accounts. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
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