Brendan Lawlor Claims Historic G4D Open At Woburn
Lawlor held off Kipp Popert to win the inaugural event by just two shots
Beginning the final round, it was World No.2, Brendan Lawlor, who began just ahead of World No.1, Kipp Popert, at the inaugural G4D Open, a tournament which saw 80 disabled male and female players compete across nine different categories.
It was set to be an enthralling final day and, after bogeys at his three opening holes, it was Lawlor who saw his lead vanish as Popert began the round with a bogey and two pars to go one ahead.
However, Lawlor battled back and, as the back nine got underway, he found himself top of the leaderboard as he birdied the 10th to capitalise. That lead was soon doubled to two, with Popert bogeying the 13th and 15th to see his chances at the title diminish.
There was hope for the World No.1 though, especially when Lawlor bogeyed the par 3 16th. The two-way battle was coming to a thrilling conclusion and, when both parred the 17th, Lawlor would take a one-shot advantage up the par 4 18th.
The Irishman though held his nerve and, after Popert bogeyed the final hole, it was left to Lawlor to tap in for a historic victory around the Duchess course at Woburn, with Spain's Juan Postigo Arce finishing third, five shots back of Lawlor.
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Speaking after his victory Lawlor, who was facetimed by Niall Horan, founder of Modest! Golf Management which Lawlor is part of, stated: "It's just an unbelievable feeling. It hasn't really sunk in yet. I've put so much hard work into my game the last few months and it's been trending really well. I'm proud of myself just to get it done, really happy. I didn't hit it well all day but I made a lot of clutch putts on the front nine.
"It's been an incredible week. The volunteers, The R&A, DP World Tour, EDGA, everybody involved has put in so much work to get this championship done. Every player here, we felt like royalty this week. Hopefully this is the start and we're going to have many more of these major events. Disability golf is definitely on the way up."
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Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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