For a second straight day, Kipp Popert rewrote an entry in the U.S. Adaptive Open record book and proved that the only thing hotter than summer in Maryland is the play of the two-time defending champion.
Popert, 27, of England, broke his own 36-hole scoring record, firing a second-round, 6-under 66 on the South Course at Woodmont Country Club to go along with his first-round 61, for a 36-hole total of 17-under-par 127. Popert holds a commanding 10-stroke lead over his two closest pursuers, Brendan Lawlor (Short Stature) of Ireland and Lachlan Wood (Lower Limb Impairment) of Australia, who are tied at 7-under-par 137.
“I was really pleased with how I played today,” said Popert. “I maybe didn’t hit the ball as well as yesterday, but then again, I’d never shot 11 under before. I putted really well today and will keep the same game plan for tomorrow.”
It’s a very similar script to the one that Popert wrote in last year’s U.S. Adaptive Open at Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kansas, where he also led Lawlor by a wide margin – six strokes – entering the final round. The 28-year-old Lawlor was effusive in praising his friend Popert’s performance.
“For an able-bodied person to shoot 11 under par is sick, so for someone with a disability to do it is even more impressive,” said Lawlor of Popert’s first round. “It’s bringing so many more eyes on us this week.”
Lawlor is realistic about his chances but plans to come out firing in Wednesday’s final round, when he will be paired with Popert.
“There are a lot of birdie chances out there, so I’m going to go for everything I can and see what I can do.”
Popert, who has a form of cerebral palsy that affects his lower extremities, has been managing intense pain in his feet following a toe fusion operation in January. He was unable to complete a practice round at Woodmont and has had to take extra remedies to treat his legs and feet between rounds. Still, he has a chance to become only the fourth male to win a USGA championship three years in a row.
“The golf bit is the easy bit for me; the foot is the tough bit,” said Popert. “I’ve been able to work on my swing over the last few weeks before coming here so I felt really good about my game. I wasn’t really sure how much my foot would handle, and that’s been the tough part.”
Rounding out the top five in the men’s division are 2022 champion Simon Lee of the Republic of Korea, who is in fourth place at 6-under-par 138, and Mike Browne of England, who stands in fifth at 2-under 142. The cut on the men’s side came at +6, with 28 players, including those competing for impairment category titles, advancing to the final round.
The women’s division saw a reversal of fortune at the top of the leader board. First-round leader and 2022 champion Kim Moore (Lower Leg Impairment) of Battle Creek, Mich., faltered a bit with an 83 on Tuesday, opening the door for 19-year-old Cassie Sengul (Cognitive Impairment) of Manassas, Va., who shot a second-round 75 for a 36-hole total of 10-over-par 154, three strokes clear of Moore entering the final round.
Sengul, who has cerebral palsy, grew up less than 40 miles from Woodmont. The rising sophomore at Drew University in Madison, N.J., is buoyed by friends and family in attendance and taking advantage of her course knowledge.
“My driver has been great this week so I’m setting myself up perfectly,” said Sengul. “Just knowing how the greens are going to play out really helped me shoot the score I did today.”
Amanda Cunha (Vision Impairment) is in third place at 160. Fourteen women made the cut to advance to Wednesday’s final round, which will be broadcast live on Golf Channel.
Whether today’s leaders become tomorrow’s champions or someone comes from way back in the pack to pull off a surprise, the table is set for a memorable final day at the U.S. Adaptive Open.
What’s Next
The 42 players (28 male, 14 female) to make the cut will compete in the final round of the 4th U.S. Adaptive Open on Wednesday, July 9. Golf Channel will provide live coverage of the final round from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET, followed by Golf Central and a re-air later in the afternoon.
Notable
Kipp Popert is seeking to join an exclusive group of male players in USGA history to win the same championship three or more years in a row. The others are Tiger Woods twice (1991-93 U.S. Junior Amateur and 1994-96 U.S. Amateur); Carl Kauffmann (1927-29 U.S. Amateur Public Links) and Willie Anderson (1903-05 U.S. Open).
The biggest move up the leaderboard on Tuesday came from Chris Biggins, who improved by 8 strokes in shooting a 2-under-par 70 to stand in a tie for 14th place. Biggins, who has cerebral palsy, is the director of player development at the Country Club of Birmingham.
It is a virtual certainty that the men’s overall champion will again be an international player. Tied for low American entering the final round are Max Togisala (Seated Player) of Clearfield, Utah, and William Jacobsen (Intellectual Impairment) of Auburn, Ala., who are in sixth place at 1-under-par 143.
Two players in the field – Togisala and Tyler Cashman of Oldwick, N.J. – were former P.J. Boatwright interns, a program funded by the USGA to support the 57 Allied Golf Associations across the United States. Both players made the cut and will compete in the final round on Wednesday.
Quotable
“It’s great to represent this area. There are people from all over the country and the world competing in adaptive golf, and you never know, they could be living right down the street from you.” –Cassie Sengul (Coordination Impairment), 19, Manassas, Va.
“What we do, we need people to see. For Golf Channel to show what we all can do, it’s going to inspire the next generation and bring people into the game. It’s also absolutely huge for Deloitte to provide travel stipends for these players in the field.” – Brendan Lawlor (Short Stature), 28, Ireland
“This is the biggest event that we play. It’s the prime example of what inclusivity is, adaptive golf is. We want this to get bigger and better so hopefully the world catches on and everyone else makes their events better and better and takes a leaf out of your book and then we all benefit.” – Lachlan Wood (Lower Limb Impairment), 34, Australia
“It feels really good. I'm happy making the cut, and I was really happy the way I played today. It means that it doesn't matter what kind of disability you have as long as you can play with anybody; doesn't matter what kind of disability it is.” – Grace Ann Braxton (Intellectual Impairment), 53, Fredericksburg, Va.
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