WIREDGOV

Yesterday [11 May] the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work highlighted the importance of sport bringing people together as he attended a new international championship for disabled golfers.

• Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Tom Pursglove MP 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

Tom Pursglove MP 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.”

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.