NEWTON, Kan. — Kipp Popert and Brendan Lawlor embraced each other walking up the 18th fairway, then they marched toward the green.
Sitting in a bowl, the two were the main actors in an amphitheater of patrons surrounding the putting surface, the stage where Popert was closing on on etching his name even deeper into USGA lore.
Popert, 25, won the 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open on Wednesday at Sand Creek Station, going back-to-back at the event. The Englishman shot 14 under for the week, a scoring record that included a birdie on the final hole. Playing in the neurological impairment category, Popert is the first player to win the overall competition back-to-back, and he did it in style.
U.S. Adaptive Open: Videos | Photos | Men’s scoring | Women’s scoring
“I was looking at the medal on my neck, and I can’t wait to get it back home with the other one,” Popert said.
Kipp Popert sinks the birdie and goes back-to-back as the #USAdaptiveOpen champion pic.twitter.com/MLClLHWlM2
— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) July 10, 2024
Popert shot under par every day at the Adaptive Open, including a 7-under 65 in the opening round to take command and go wire-to-wire. He won by four shots over 2022 and inaugural Adaptive Open champion Simon Lee from Korea.
He had a slight hiccup on the par-5 10th hole, the toughest of the week for everyone in the field, making double bogey. But that miscue helped him refocus heading down the stretch.
“I enjoy all of the pressure,” Popert said. “I was like, ‘All right, let’s go show them that we’re still winning this thing despite a little trip up.’”
Kipp Popert raises his hat after finishing his round on the 18th hole during the final round of the 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open at Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kansas, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)
Bish wins women’s title
On the women’s side, Bailey Bish scripted an amazing story of her own along the Sand Creek.
Two years ago, she watched the Adaptive Open on TV unable to compete because her body couldn’t handle playing more than nine holes at a time.
Bailey Bish has done it! She wins the women’s division of the 2024 #USAdaptiveOpen pic.twitter.com/ry1iDQGx9Z
— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) July 10, 2024
On Wednesday, as Bish rode her cart up to the 18th green, she did shot with a four-shot lead en route to securing the biggest victory of her life.
“If you told me three years ago that I would be the U.S. Adaptive Open champion I…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…