The LINK Hong Kong Open is rolling out the red carpet for a truly groundbreaking moment this year.
For the first time in the tournament’s 63-year run, a disabled golfer is set to tee off alongside the pros, and it’s none other than World No. 1 Kipp Popert.
Yes, you heard it right—Popert, an unstoppable force in the G4D (Golf for the Disabled) Tour, is breaking barriers and rewriting history on the Asian Tour’s eighth major event of the season.
The Hong Kong Golf Club handed Popert a special exemption, and they couldn’t have picked a better guy to embody this year’s theme: “LINK Hong Kong Open – Open for All.”
The club’s captain, Andy Kwok, summed it up perfectly: “The tagline for this year’s championship is ‘Open for All’, so we are delighted to have Kipp, who has excelled on the G4D Tour in recent times, join this world-class field at Fanling.
“His story, like those other sportsmen who compete to such a high standard despite the challenges brought about by disability, is truly inspiring and we will all be cheering him on and wishing him the very best.”
Popert’s journey has been a tough one, to put it mildly. Living with cerebral palsy and enduring more surgeries than anyone should have to, he’s still managed to conquer the disabled golf world.
This year alone, he’s snagged five out of ten titles on the G4D Tour, including a few memorable ones on his home turf in England.
He took the G4D Open in May, partnered with Heather Gilks for the G4D Tour Nations Cup at the Betfred British Masters in August, and made waves at the BMW PGA Championship in September.
Just last week, he wrapped up the season in Dubai with a spectacular 9-under 135, taking the G4D Tour Series Finale at the DP World Tour Championship.
As he gears up for his Hong Kong debut, Popert’s excitement is obvious: “I am very excited to be playing the LINK Hong Kong Open in 2024.
I relish the opportunity to continue to prove to myself and others that golfers with disability have the skills and talent to compete professionally.
I look forward to visiting Hong Kong and engaging with the fans next week.”
But he also didn’t shy away from sharing just how much grit it took to get here: “It is a powerful force, being at a disadvantage at the start, because you learn that you have to work hard to achieve what you want. I think it gives you that drive and that work ethic that you can become whatever you want to be in life.
“Just because you have cerebral palsy does not mean you cannot achieve anything you want to, it just means you have got to find your way of doing it, and when you do find a way, and when you come through the setback, you’re going to be a more dominant force, including mentally.”
Kipp Popert is living proof that golf truly is open to everyone. So when he steps onto that Hong Kong course, he won’t just be playing a round—he’ll be playing to show the world that the game belongs to anyone with the guts and passion to take it on.
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