London, England: Brendan Lawlor and Daphne van Houten secured G4D Open victories for a second time after both eased to memorable successes at Woburn.
Irishman Lawlor, who won the inaugural staging of the championship in 2023, again lifted the men’s trophy after a one-over-par final round of 73 for a 54-hole total of three-over 219 and a four-stroke win over Lachlan Wood from Australia.
Van Houten enjoyed her own piece of G4D Open history as The Netherlands’ player defended the women’s title she won 12 months ago thanks to an 11-stroke victory over Germany’s Jennifer Sräga after posting a 250 total.
In glorious conditions over the Duchess Course, Lawlor shone from the start of the final round while his closest rivals faltered. The 28-year-old, who has a rare condition called Ellis–van Creveld syndrome, made two birdies in his opening six holes.
Playing partners Thomas Colombel, the left-hander from France, and Danish teenager Frederik Brokfelt-Christiansen, both dropped early shots, with Colombel’s hopes ultimately ended when he carded a triple-bogey eight at the fourth after losing a ball off the tee.
Carton House’s Lawlor, who sits third on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), produced a composed display with a run of seven straight pars from the seventh and even a double-bogey at the 17th failed to take the shine off his success.
Wood, 34, was the player who applied the most pressure to Lawlor. Wood, who has had multiple surgeries on his left leg, made four birdies on the front nine. A double-bogey at the par-five 15th proved costly, but Wood held onto the runner-up spot with a closing 71 for seven-over 223 as he built on his tie for fourth place last year. Thomas Blizzard from England and Spain’s Juan Postigo Arce shared third on eight-over 224.
Van Houten – the leading woman at 27th on the WR4GD – enjoyed a comfortable victory to add to her numerous wins on the EDGA Tour.
Born with scoliosis and since faced with other health battles, van Houten, 26, closed with a seven-over 79 which featured birdies at the 10th and 13th. Sräga, 25, was born with Achondroplasia, commonly called short stature, and enjoyed a strong championship debut having competed for Germany in the European Team Championship last year. England’s Aimi Bullock finished in third place in the women’s event.
Established in 2023, the championship – held in partnership between The R&A and the DP World Tour and supported by EDGA (European Disabled Golf Association) – is one of the most inclusive ever staged. The G4D Open featured nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups, with 80 men and women players of both amateur and professional status, aged 18-79, representing 20 countries.
A gross prize was also awarded in each sport class, covering various categories in Standing, Intellectual, Visual and Sitting.
Highlights from the championship will be aired on Sky Sports Golf later this month. Viewers can also watch features and daily highlights on The R&A’s YouTube channel and at R&A TV.
Woburn continued its rich history of hosting amateur and professional championships with Final Qualifying for The Open from 2014 to 2017 and most recently the AIG Women's Open in 2019, both played on the Marquess Course.
The establishment of The G4D Open follows on from the inclusion of the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities into the Rules of Golf and The R&A and USGA’s on-going administration of the WR4GD.
