Rockville, MD. – Note the name Kipp popert.
He has taken a place alongside Tiger Woods.
With a seven under 65 years old in the last Wednesday of Adaptive Open here at Woodmont Country Club, Povert, a 26-year-old Englishman with cerebral paralysis, caught a prevailing week to win his third consecutive title of men at the event and become one of only four male players with three USA championships. The latest was Woods, who drew Feat twice to the new US and US amateur amateur, during a historic reach from 1991-96.
In his ran to tritafa, Poppert destroyed one We adaptive open Making records, starting with a single sign of 11th Nine 61 on Monday’s opening. His three-day total of the 24-year-old also exploded the 14 under record he set at last year’s championship in Kansas. His closest competitors, Simon Lee from South Korea (intellectual damage) and Lachland Wood of Australia (short stature) were 12 shots back.
Not that Poppert was puffing his chest for this.
“Absolutely not,” he said when asked if he would compare himself to Woods. “I am nowhere near that. I just want to continue to try to increase the sport as much as possible.”
In the Women’s Division, the 2022 US Adaptive Champ Kim Moore and Batte Creek, Mich, who plays with a lower limb injury, recovered the title he won three years ago. Its total with 54 holes of 16 over placed its three clean shots from the second -placed Bailey Bish, Ariz.
“It feels just as good as the first time,” Moore said. “Undoubtedly something I was really waiting for and hoping, and it’s just nice to be able to be on top again.”
This was the fourth adaptive of the US, the youngest from the USA championships, but the first to receive the direct coverage of the last round on national TV. Viewers tuned from home should look at the best performers from a field that started with 96 players from 10 countries, including the United States, starting from the ages of 16 to 75. After the second round of Tuesday, the field was cut into 28 men and 14 women. Along with the individual titles of men and women, fields were fighting for trophies in eight categories of damage, using shakes that were as different as they were effective.
With few exceptions (such as, for example, free sand points for sitting players, whose balls grew under the lips of the bunker or other points that could not enter their carriages), implemented official golf rules. But as elite races go, it was shot with unusual friendships. Even in their most delightful moments, the open support of the players for another underlined the feeling that something beyond the titles was in line. A player community, prone to attracting more eyes on the adaptive game, was in the national scene together.
“There is no doubt that it will inspire,” Moore said. “I have no doubt that every person with disabilities there will see these highlights and see this direct coverage and simply be motivated to do some things themselves. And not just disabled players, but capable people, with skills, mentally and physically. Be able to see players like me to go there and have the best and do the best and do my best and do the best, than today. “
In adaptive golf, the adjustments are numerous, not just for players. Prior to this year’s event, the southern course at Woodmont CC, which will host the championship again in 2026, underwent design tweaks to better accommodate players with disabilities. The bunkers’ inputs landed and flattened for easier access, and the teeing bases joined to create continuous flow from one box to another.
With the championship still in its infancy, the USA has also called on refinement, treating the first years of the event as a kind of “court period”, said tournament director Stephanie Parel. Among other areas of concentration, Parel said, the governing body has closely looked at the categories of damage to ensure that the races are as fair as possible. Along with the eight categories, the USA has implemented different areas of teeing within several clusters to promote a playing field. In the category of upper limb damage, for example, two -winged players play from the back while competitors with one wing from the other box up.
It is, Parel admitted, “an imperfect science” that she and her colleagues will continue to examine, relying on ongoing reactions.
On Wednesday afternoon in Maryland, the early contribution was positive by one of the participants of the event. Andreas Brandenberger (upper limb damage) had come from San Diego to compete in his first adaptive opening of the US. Although he lost the cut, he gripped to see the last round.
“It’s been an amazing event,” Brandenberger said. “Excellent field. Excellent hosts. Excellent organizers. I wouldn’t change anything but maybe I would find a cooler weather next year.”
At an air -conditioned club, meanwhile, Kipp Poppert was completing his post -round interviews and looking at his next USA event: he has done it until the final qualification for the American amateur at the Whippoorwill Club in Armonk, Monday, where he was given an exception to use a wheelchair.
“USA have been unbelievable to help me sail in using buggy and travel because I can’t play immediately after leaving a plane, so I’m really grateful for what they have done to give me the best opportunity to qualify,” Povert said. “I will go there and give it my absolute best. I think I can do it.”
If he does, he said, “this would achieve a really good American journey.”
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