What defines a versatile golfer? The criteria will come from the US Adaptive Open
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Golf is not a game that judges players based on what they lost, or how they got here; it only asks what they can do now. It measures flexibility, performance and resolution regardless of background or situation.
At the US Adaptive Open Championship – this year held at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., from July 6-8 – that standard is reinforced with a competitive structure that pits players among their peers, with results earned through play.
Each year, the USGA receives hundreds of tournament applications from around the world. In 2024, the organization is introducing qualifying events in the US, allowing players an additional path to the tournament. Eligibility is verified by medical examiners who issue the WR4GD Pass – criteria and standards closely aligned with those of the International Paralympic Committee.
The USGA uses eight different handicap categories to determine the field of 96 pros and novices, and works with medical examiners from the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to ensure proper placement of tees and fairways. The prize categories (and overall male and female champions) are as follows:
Link Damage: Athletes have one or more movement disorders that affect the structure and function of the central nervous system.
Intellectual Disability: Players have limited normal cognitive functions. Requires WR4GD Pass and Virtus II1 eligibility.
Lower Limb Disability: Players have disabilities that affect the leg, hip and/or spine.
Multiple Limb Amputee: Includes players with multiple disabilities.
Sitting Players: Players do every stroke from a sitting position because that’s the only way they can play based on their injuries.
Brief Status: Athletes are stunted due to congenital or developmental shortening of the bones of the upper and lower limbs (and possibly a shortened torso).
Upper Limb Disabilities: Players have disabilities that affect the arm, shoulder and/or spine.
Vision Impairment: Players have reduced or no visual activity even when using the best refractive or optical correction.
These handicap categories are designed to create parity in the US Adaptive Open. The title, now in its fifth year, brings players together to compete against their peers and strives to ensure fair competition where results are determined by performance, not status.
