Dundalk's Lawlor lifts Irish Open title

Dundalk's Brendan Lawlor made history this year with a commanding win at the ISPS HANDA Irish Open for Players with Disabilities Division, and he did it on home soil. It was his first time playing in the event, but he made it count.

When reflecting on the event with the Dundalk Democrat, he said: “I've never played in the event. I won it by a nice margin as well, so coming down the final stretch, I wouldn't say there was much pressure on me.

“But it was just nice to win the event, and it was sponsored by ISPS Handa, so they're very close to my heart, and it was an extremely well-run event.”

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Already a major name in disability golf, Lawlor’s second G4D Open title cemented his place among the greats of the game. 

“The G4D Open is probably the pinnacle in the disability golf circuit. The second time is probably sweeter than the first one because I didn't have the best year last year," he admitted.

“I haven't won that much since I won the Open previously. So, winning the second one, the way I did as well, there was a wee bit of pressure on me too.

“So, it was very, very special. And such an enjoyable week run by the R&A. Yeah, that's incredible.”

Road to success

Born with Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, Lawlor never let it hold him back. In fact, it helped shape his journey.

The 28-year-old said: “It never really affected me, to be honest. It was a type of thing. I played amateur golf at a very high level.

“And my auntie found disability golf and my mother mentioned it to me and I said I would join it. And just gave it a go to see how it would go. And I saw an avenue there that no one really exploited before.

“And just kept going down the road. It was an unbelievable journey and I'm looking forward to keep doing it.”

Turning pro 

The decision to turn professional came down to opportunity, but Lawlor never imagined where it would lead.

“To be honest, it was endorsement deals. I was offered a lot of endorsement deals and as an amateur, I couldn't take them at the time.

“So, I had to turn professional to earn money through golf. So, that was the reason. I never thought I'd have a career like this. It's obviously very special to win.

“But the amount of lives we're changing along the way is an incredible thing as well. So, I'm going to keep doing it and see what happens.”

History maker

Lawlor became the first disabled golfer to tee it up on the DP World Tour, breaking barriers in Japan.

“Yeah, to be the first disabled golfer to play on the DP World Tour. That was an incredible moment. That was a sponsor's invite from ISPS Handa who sponsored the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan.

“Just going to that event was extremely special. Japan is such a wonderful country. The people, the food, everything about it is unbelievable. And yeah, events like that are unbelievable.

“Can I compete in the Tour week in, week out? Definitely not. But the impact you have on people that one week is very, very special. And hopefully I get another tour start in the next coming months or next year and give it another crack.”

Setbacks

Like every athlete, Lawlor has had his setbacks, but he’s learned how to deal with them.

He said: “Not really. It's a fickle game. The more the sport grows in disability golf, the more players that come into it, and it definitely gets harder to win.

“So any setbacks you have by not winning, it just means you have to work harder to try and get over the line next time. And that's what I did this year. I put a lot less pressure on myself to perform.

“And thankfully the results are coming and it's been an unbelievable year. And long may it last. I’m heading to America now in a couple of weeks. We have two majors on our circuit a year.

“The G4D Open is one and the U.S. Adaptive is the other. So I'm extremely excited to go out and try and win in America for the first time.”

Legacy

Lawlor is more than a champion, he’s a voice for change. His ambitions stretch far beyond trophies.

“That's a really good question. Obviously, my career today has been absolutely fantastic. Getting so many people into the game of golf.

“Playing on some of the best courses in the world. Meeting some of the biggest names in golf. So the career has been really mind-blowing for me to be able to live it.

“But yeah, just keep doing what I'm doing. Try and create a world tour and make disability golf so lame.

“Where we're playing week in, week out for maybe prize funds alongside the European Tour. So that's definitely a dream of ours. Hopefully, bring it over to America as well.

“There's a lot of veterans out there that are fantastic players and love the game of golf. And it's definitely a sport that's growing out there too.”

Pressure

Performing under pressure is something Lawlor has learned to embrace.

“Not particularly. I think it's one of those things when you've got a wee bit of pressure on you, it can act one way or the other way.

“I feel I deal pretty well with pressure coming down the stretch of the tournament. If I have to do something, I genuinely do.

“The last previous years I wasn't, but this year, about two or three years ago, I was pretty clutch coming down the stretch and enjoying the pressure.

“But as I said previously, I really took the pressure off myself to perform, and I feel I perform a lot better when I'm chilled about the event and not worrying about holding a putt.

“Just going out taking it shot by shot and trying to win the tournament.”

Future

With passion and purpose, Lawlor sees a bright future for disability golf, and he’s helping drive it forward.

“It's an extremely growing sport as it is. There's many, many fantastic players coming into the game. As the years go on, especially in Ireland, we started six years ago, I think I was the only player. We have many hubs around Ireland.

“I think we have over 150 players on the roster for Disability Golf. It's had a huge impact there, so if you could bring that system into many other countries, we could create a world tour at a very high level pretty quickly.

“And that's where I'd love to see it, with a paid tour, playing against the best players in the world alongside the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.”

Inspiration

Lawlor’s message to young people is clear, get involved, and enjoy the ride.

“Obviously for young people coming into the game, I think it's extremely important they enjoy it first of all. But also find a friend group that is at their level or maybe a wee bit better that they can aspire to get to their level too.

“I think if you have a disability, playing with body golfers is extremely important as well because that will 100% bring on your game.”