Lawlor ready to make history in inaugural G4D Open
Brendan Lawlor. Credit: The R&A
Disability golfer Brendan Lawlor took to social media to respond to online abuse last week, but now he's ready to let his clubs do the talking as he seeks victory in the inaugural G4D Open at Woburn.
A field of 80 male and female elite golfers with disabilities from 17 countries will tee it up on the Duchess Course in the 54-hole event from Wednesday, looking to make history.
The championship, held in partnership between The R&A and the DP World Tour and supported by EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association), will be one of the most inclusive ever staged, featuring nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups.
Louth native Lawlor (26) is ranked second in the world standings behind Kipp Popert, and after racking up multiple wins on the EDGA Tour and competing regularly on the G4D Tour in DP World Tour events, he's ready to shine.
"It's huge, the first one ever," said Lawlor, who has Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, which is a bone growth disorder that leads to shorter limbs.
"To put your name on that trophy, to make history, to be the first one to do it, that would be the biggest thing for me. My game is in a good place and, mentally, I feel good too, so I feel like I could go well this week."
Lawlor, who recently competed on the DP World Tour in the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan, took to social media last week to highlight online abuse directed at him and received huge support from Niall Horan and other stars.
"I got a beautiful start in Japan, had a fabulous week, and the DP World Tour shared a video which went viral," he said in his blog for the DP World Tour. "It got some amazing feedback, real positive, but unfortunately, it got some real negative.
"I just wanted to get on and highlight how bad the negative was and, if you weren't in the frame of mind to take this negativity, of what it could do to people.
"I'm lucky enough where my condition has never affected me. I've grown up all my life with negative comments and I blew them off with the breeze, but I wanted to hop on and highlight these comments for other people."
Lawlor added: "I got a lot of private messages including a really nice one from Shane Lowry, who said it was great that I was speaking out and that I had a lot of people who admire me.
"Then I had support from Tyrrell Hatton, Thomas Bjørn, and Justin Thomas followed me and liked all the stuff. It's really a great honour for them to see it happening and give you support because it gives other people support to keep going."
He added: "I actually spoke to Rory McIlroy about it when I played with him and Shane in Dubai. I told him how motivated I was to be the best. I'm still motivated, but I just don't have my best.
"He said he was the exact same, and that he had to lose it to get his motivation back."
There is a large Irish contingent in the 80-strong field with Portmarnock's Paul O'Kelly, Roganstown's James McParland and Cian Arthurs, St Patrick's Fiona Gray, Carton House's Conor Stone, Ballinasloe's Aidan Grenham, Co Sligo's Alan Gaynor and Druids Heath's Tom T Beard joining Lawlor at Woburn.
