U.S. Adaptive Open: Players to Watch

The U.S. Adaptive Open is coming to Woodmont Country Club (South Course) in Rockville, Maryland, from July 7-9. This year, the 96 competitors will battle it out in eight different categories. Players hail from all over the world, representing 10 countries in total: United States, Canada, England, Republic of Korea, Argentina, Australia, France, Ireland, South Africa, and Sweden. Golfers also range from 16 years-old to 75-years-old.

Qualifying events across the U.S. were hosted this year to set the field with 20 players using exemptions. Former champions each receive a five-year exemption and top-5 finishers from the previous championship secure a spot in the following championship. Kipp Popert, 26, of England, and Bailey Bish, 24, of Tucson, Ariz. are both returning as the reigning U.S. Adaptive Open Champions.

For the first time in championship history, the final round will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel. As tournament play kicks off, here's a review of some of the most exciting players in the field, including former champions, fan favorites, and those looking to make their first big mark on one of the best golf tournaments the USGA has to offer.

Credit: USGA

As for the categories, the field is split into eight flights. The USGA uses the following impairment categories to set the field, assign tees and award prizes: Coordination Impairments, Impaired Muscle Power, Impaired Passive Range of Movement, Limb Deficiency/Limb Length Difference, Short Stature, Vision Impairment, Intellectual Impairment, Coordination Impairment. There is a men's and women's grouping in each category.

Coordination Impairments

Female

Bailey Bish

The 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open champion is looking to defend her title at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville. In 2024, Bish defeated 2022 champion Kim Moore by four strokes, and her opening round 69 marked the only round in the 60s throughout the entire week in the women’s field. Bailey was a basketball player in high school, but her career suddenly ended due to a sinus infection that triggered dystonia and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, which causes involuntary muscle contractions. Characterized by increased heart rate and potential fainting spells, the Tucson native found adaptive golf about four years ago and has quickly become one of the best golfers in the field.

Cassie Sengul

One of the youngest players in the field at just 19 years old, Sengul was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth. She went through several operations as a young kid to keep and maintain strength in her legs. This fall, Cassie will be a sophomore at Drew University in Madison, N.J. where she plays on the women’s golf team. She made her U.S. Adaptive Open Championship debut in 2024 and finished fifth among women. Sengul also won the women’s division of the inaugural 2024 Arizona Adaptive Open.

Male

Ford Martin

The Potomac, Maryland native was born with bilateral neurogenic clubfoot, leading doctors to proclaim that there was a chance he would never be able to walk normally, and would never be able to run at full speed. Ford defied the odds and was the goalie on the lacrosse team at Georgetown Prep. The star started 43 straight games, leading his team to championships during both his junior and senior year. Ford was a member of the junior golf program at Congressional Country Club, and was the men’s club champion in 2023. He won the men’s division of the 2024 Arizona Adaptive Open and finished T-5 in last year’s U.S. Adaptive Open.

Kipp Popert

British golfer Kipp Popert is widely considered the favorite at the 2025 Open, looking to win the tournament for the third year in a row. In 2024, he took home his second trophy in the event, defeating the Open’s first champion, Simon Lee. Popert has been playing golf since he was 3 years old. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth and has undergone several surgeries. Last May, Popert held off Brendan Lawlor to win the 2024 G4D Open, launching him to the top of the WR4GD rankings, where he remains to this day.

Intellectual Impairment

Women

Amy Bockerstette

Bockerstette, of Phoenix, Arizona, who was born with Down syndrome. The golfer has a close personal relationship with 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. Bockerstette founded the “I Got This” Foundation to provide golf instruction, playing opportunities, and organized events for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. This will be Amy’s fourth start in the U.S. Adaptive Open.

Grace Anne Braxton

In 2007, Braxton earned the gold medal at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in China and was honored as the top female Special Olympics golfer in the world. The Fredericksburg, Virginia native has also been a Special Olympics swimmer since 1981. She earned her spot as a committee selection for the 2025 U.S. Adaptive Open.

Men

Simon Lee

Lee, who hails from Korea, won the 2022, 2023 and 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open men’s intellectual impairment category. Lee earned the title of men’s overall champion in the 2022 U.S. Adaptive Open after an a two-hole aggregate playoff. Additionally, Lee has participated in numerous events as a professional on the Korean PGA Tour.

Dogyoung Heo

One of the youngest competitors in the field, Dogyoung Heo is a Korean golfer who is looking to make his mark at the Adaptive Open as a 16-year-old. He is one of only two 16-year-olds in the field, alongside Ryder Barr of Celina, Texas.

Lower Limb Impairment

Women

Kim Moore

Kim Moore of Portage, Michigan was an impressive wire-to-wire winner of the women’s overall champion in the 2022 U.S. Adaptive Open. She was born without a right foot, a severely clubbed left foot, and a slight case of spina bifida. Moore played four years of college golf at the University of Indianapolis, where she was ranked in the NCAA Division II top 10 as an individual and was an all-conference honoree all four years. She received the first-ever Kim Moore Spirit Award, which is given to one female golfer in each of three college divisions who exemplifies perseverance and high character. Moore is also a PGA teaching professional.

Mandi Sedlak

Mandi Sedlak, who hails from Kearney, Nebraska, is a highly accomplished amateur adaptive athlete who captured the 2016 and 2017 Women’s National Amputee Championships. Sedlak, who had her leg amputated below the knee at age 21, received a diagnosis of plantar neurofibromatosis. The disease, defined by painful tumors, came with a potential to spread in the body, including to the nervous system. Sedlak co-founded Women's Orthotics & Prosthetics and Prosthetic Healthcare Services with her husband.

Men

Anthony Maldonado

Anthony Maldonado, from Odessa, Texas qualified for the Open this year in Dallas. Missing his left leg, Maldonado doesn’t use his prosthetic when playing. Instead, he uses crutches and balances on his right leg.

Kenny Bontz

Bontz, who hails from Parrish, Florida, and is 55-years-old, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 11, and with Ewing sarcoma in his leg at 19 years old. Bontz underwent a staggering six knee replacements in nine years, eventually leading him to amputation after many years of opioid and alcohol addiction due in large part to the circle of surgeries and recoveries. He is a member of EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association).

Multiple Limb Amputee

Women

Rose Veldman

Los Angeles’ own Rose Veldman won the women’s multiple limb amputee category at the 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open. In 2010, Veldman was a 10-year-old orphan living in Haiti when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck her village. She ran into a nearby building to rescue a young girl who was trapped. Veldman was able to save the girl by tossing her out of a window before the building collapsed on her, losing both of her legs in the aftermath.

Men

Brandon Canesi

The Northfield, New Jersey golfer was born without hands, but taught himself how to design and build his own extended golf clubs that allow him to anchor them under his arms. In 2022, he was a member of the USA team for The Cairns Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event for golfers with disabilities. This will be his fourth start in the U.S. Adaptive Open.

Seated Players

Men

Max Togisala

Togisala, who comes from South Ogden, Utah, won the 2023 and 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open men’s seated players category. Max was paralyzed in a ski accident in February 2022. While he was a golfer prior to his accident, he had to relearn the game from a seated position. On his way to taking home the 2023 U.S. Adaptive Open seated players category, Togisala shot a 2-under-par 70 in the second round of the event, which bested by a whopping nine strokes the lowest round by a seated player in championship history.

Dennis Walters

Walters carries the unique distinction of being the oldest participant in the field at 75-years-old. Walters won the 2022 U.S. Adaptive Open men’s seated players category. He was paralyzed in a golf cart accident at age 24. He played college golf at North Texas State University and finished 11th in the 1967 U.S. Amateur. Since 1977, Walters has hosted “The Dennis Walters Golf Show,” a one-hour golf trick shot clinic, traveling over 3.5 million miles at over 3,000 performances. Walters is a member of The World Golf Hall of Fame, an Honorary Lifetime Member of The PGA of America, and a Ben Hogan Award for Courage winner.

Short Stature

Editors Note: There are no women competing in this category for 2025.

Male

Joakim Bjorkman

The Swedish golfer was born with achondroplasia (short stature) and became a golf obsessive while watching Tiger Woods compete in the 2000 Open Championship at St. Andrews. Bjorkman has established himself as a top professional in the disabled ranks, winning 35 titles around the world, including a Swedish Open Championship in 2016, four straight Italian Open Championships from 2015-2018, and a European Championship in 2006.

Brendan Lawlor

Lawlor, from Ireland, was born with a rare bone disorder called Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome, characterized by a shorter stature and shorter limbs. Lawlor, the third-ranked player in the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), made history by becoming the first disabled golfer to compete on the DP World Tour at the ISPS HANDA UK Championship in August 2020.

Upper Limb Impairment

Women

Cathy Walch

Walch, a 59-year-old golfer from Buford, Arizona, won the women’s upper limb impairment category at the 2022 and 2024 U.S. Adaptive Opens. Walch is congenital below the elbow on her right arm. She is a retired elementary school teacher who has been playing in adaptive golf events since 1981.

Men

Andrew Austen

Austen, who runs a popular Instagram page under his alter ego, @jimmythekiiid, will be participating in his first Adaptive Open in 2025. His signature catch-phrase, ‘Your Favorite One Arm Golfer,’ has helped him become a social media sensation and an inspiration to his loyal fans. Regarding the event, the Radnor, Pennsylvania golfer wrote on Instagram: “This has been a dream of mine for a while, now it’s time to make it a reality.”

Vision Impairment

Women

Amanda Cunha

Amanda Cunha of Kaneohe, Hawaii, is one of the most successful players in the U.S. Adaptive Open field, and she’s only 21-years-old. Cunha won the 2022, 2023 and 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open female vision impairment category. She currently plays for the University of Arizona para golf team. In 2021, she was diagnosed with a condition called Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy, which greatly impairs central vision, and was legally blind within three months of the onset of symptoms.

Men

Tyler Cashman

Tyler Cashman, who hails from Oldwick, N.J., placed second in the visual impairment category at the 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open and is looking to best that finish in 2025. Last year, the 22-year-old served as a USGA P.J. Boatwright Jr. intern with the Golf Association of Philadelphia, where he supported the launch of the regional golf association’s adaptive programs. He was also selected to participate in the USGA’s Pathways Internship program this year.