After breaking his own U.S. Adaptive Open 36-hole scoring record—shooting a 17-under-par 127 on Monday and Tuesday—Kipp Popert told the media he had to get back on crutches in preparation for his final round on Wednesday. Popert, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, underwent the 12th surgery of his life in January to help heal a fusion to his big left toe.
In the lead-up to the fourth U.S. Adaptive Open, Popert said he could only manage to play four holes of his practice round. Meanwhile, between arriving at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., and his surgery, Popert “had a lot of months this year of boredom” and only played three rounds.
And still, the 27-year-old from England cruised to his third-straight title in the men’s overall competition, finishing with a tournament-record 24-under-par 192—12 strokes ahead of Simon Lee, who captured the inaugural men’s championship in 2022, and Lachlan Wood.
The win propels Popert—the No. 1 WR4GD golfer—to illustrious company, becoming the fourth male golfer in USGA history to win the same championship three or more years in a row.
The other three to achieve this feat are Tiger Woods (1991-93 U.S. Junior Amateur, 1994-96 U.S. Amateur), Carl Kauffmann (1927-29 U.S. Amateur Public Links) and Willie Anderson (1903-05 U.S. Open).
History.
Three-peats in USGA championships by male competitors:
Willie Anderson: U.S. Open (1903-05)
Carl F. Kauffmann, U.S. Amateur Public Links (1927-29)
Tiger Woods: U.S. Junior Amateur (1991-93)
Tiger Woods: U.S. Amateur (1994-96)Kipp Popert: U.S. Adaptive Open (2023-25) pic.twitter.com/HavFVTHG2q
— USGA (@USGA) July 9, 2025
“It’s definitely been on my mind, it’s probably been on my mind since last year,” Popert said Wednesday of having the chance to join the illustrious list. “When I had surgery this year, my foot really wasn’t getting better at all. I wasn’t looking forward to the thought of not being able to try.”
“To come here and play the way I did,” Popert added, “I’ve never shot 11-under, and I’m just extremely pleased with myself.”
In the women’s overall competition, Kim Moore, winner of the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open in 2022, claimed her second title with a 16-over-par 232. Moore, a Michigan native, was born without a right foot, a severely clubbed left foot and a case of spina bifida. The 44-year-old is a former all-conference collegiate golfer at the University of Indianapolis and has been Western Michigan’s women’s golf coach since November 2020. She bested Bailey Bish—the 2024 women’s winner—and Amanda Cunha by three strokes.
“It feels just as good as the first time,” Moore said with a smile. “It’s definitely something I was really looking forward to and hoping, and it’s just nice to be able to be on the top again.”
Kim Moore won the women’s compeititon for the second time.
Logan Whitton
From the jump, Popert was going to be difficult to catch, shooting a tournament-record 11-under-par 61 in his opening round. The round broke Popert’s previous record of 65 set last year at Sand Creek Station.
Popert’s performance comes a week after he advanced through U.S. Amateur local qualifying, shooting a five-under 66 to finish T-2 at Watchung Valley Golf Club in New Jersey. Following his opening round of the Adaptive Open, Popert said he’s planning on playing his final qualifying round July 14 in New York. If he advances, Popert would be the first golfer with cerebral palsy to qualify for the U.S. Amateur.
“Growing up, I never saw anyone with a disability playing golf apart from myself,” Popert said. “Now there are 96 people here playing, and in the future, hopefully that will be even more.”
“I just want to keep growing the sport so this generation and the next generation can play for a living and be sports people, disabled athletes,” Popert added.
Kim Moore and Kipp Popert with their trophies at the U.S. Adaptive Open at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md.
Logan Whitton
In addition to being born with cerebral palsy, Popert was born 10 weeks premature and had to live in a special care unit for six-and-a-half weeks. Growing up, the muscles in his lower legs didn’t grow with his bones. He had his first foot surgery at age 7. Still, Popert was never deterred from playing golf, which he picked up as a 3-year-old.
While his journey has been turbulent, Popert has continuously pressed on, enriching his spot in conversations with some of the best golfers of all time. But he’s done more than just win.
Alongside tremendous competitors in Moore, Lee, Bish, Wood and Cunha, Popert has shown that adaptive golfers can be among the best in the world.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
