- Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, met leading disabled
golfers at the inaugural G4D Open
- Minister surveyed the action at the new international
Championship for disabled golfers
- 80 golfers from across the world competing at Woburn Golf
Club
joined more than 80 talented competitors from
across the world taking part in the inaugural G4D Open (10-12
May) at the Duchess Course at Woburn Golf Club.
The championship is one of the most inclusive ever staged,
featuring nine sports classes across multiple impairment groups.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Tom Pursglove, MP,
said:
“Sport should be open to everyone. It sparks hope and brings
together people from every background. I’m deeply honoured to
have attended the G4D Open and seen so many world-class disabled
golfers in action.
“One of the most inspiring things about the G4D Open is that the
adaptations enable players at the Championship to have the same
opportunities to play as everyone else.
“This ethos is so important and will be at the heart of our
Disability Action Plan as we strive to make the UK a more
inclusive and accessible society for everyone.”
Attending the second day of competition with Tim Hollingsworth
OBE – the Government Disability and Access Ambassador for Sport –
Minister Pursglove met some of the players, hearing how they got
into the sport and took part in a practical demonstration to see
first-hand the adaptions that make golf accessible to everyone.
The Championship is held in partnership with The R&A and the
DP World Tour and supported by EDGA (formerly the European
Disabled Golf Association).
Tim Hollingsworth OBE, Government Disability Access Ambassador
and Chief Executive of Sport England, said:
“It is a real pleasure to join the Minister in supporting The G4D
Open at Woburn and witness first hand the skills and talents of
competitors from across the world.
“Golf is a wonderful sport for both our physical and mental
health and wellbeing and there has been a lot of hard work in
recent years for it to become more inclusive. That’s at the heart
of Sport England’s Uniting the Movement strategy – tackling the
inequalities that exist to ensure that everyone has the chance to
play sport and be active in their everyday lives.”
Among the players competing in the Championship is world number
one disabled golfer, Kipp Popert. The English golfer was born
with a form of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic Diplegia and spent
most of his teenage years undergoing surgery and treatment on his
legs and feet.
The 24-year-old, who competes in able-bodied and disabled events,
is hoping his performances will help inspire others into the
sport.
World number one ranked disabled golfer Kipp Popert said:
“What The R&A, DP World Tour and EDGA are doing for
grassroots golf for disabled people has been brilliant and
important, but those getting into the game need something to
aspire to and that is what I’m trying to achieve.
“I hope people watching the G4D Open come away thinking that
anyone can play golf. It doesn’t matter what your disability is.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- A field of nearly 80 male and female players are competing
over the Duchess Course at Woburn, representing 17 countries
including the USA, Australia, Canada, Slovenia, Denmark and
Turkey.
- Eligible amateur and professional golfers, including men and
women, playing in The G4D Open are contesting a 54 hole stroke
play gross competition with an overall winner determined at the
end of three rounds. There will also be a gross prize in several
categories.
- 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 from the start of this year,
and during the week of the championship there will also be a
symposium bringing together national federations from around the
world to discuss important topics relating to the growth and
development of golf for disabled players.
