Brendan Lawlor is concerned with the direction that disability golf is heading after a reduced G4D schedule in 2025 and still no progress on prize funds for events.
So often the trailblazer for disability golf and the G4D Tour, Lawlor feels that disability golf has been well accepted by many top professionals like Rory McIlrory and Jon Rahm, but the DP World Tour and EDGA need to do more to progress the game.
A particular gripe for Lawlor is that the main G4D gross events were cut from nine last year to just five this, although he did supplement his playing schedule at the US Adaptive Open, ISPS Handa Irish Open for Golfers with a Disability and the ISPS Handa G4D @ Ardee.
“Unfortunately the schedule is pretty limited now and we aren’t playing as much which is unfortunate,” said Lawlor at the G4D season finale in Mallorca where there is no prize money on offer. Lawlor famously held an event in September 2024 at Carton House where he drummed up a €35,000 prize fund.
“I’m very much disappointed. It’s our livelihood at the end of the day. We rely on sponsors and sponsors need to see us playing tournaments. Hopefully things will change next year we are still striving towards prize money as well. Let’s see what happens and hopefully the tour can get us into a few more events and playing on weekends in front of a few more cameras.”
This week, the G4D Tour shares the stage with the HotelPlanner Tour’s Rolex Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada. Lawlor and co are competing across 54-holes from Thursday to Saturday and they have enjoyed some of the crowds and SKY Sports television coverage so far.
The Ardee man was born with Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome and turned professional in 2019 before making history as the first disabled golfer to compete on the DP World Tour at the ISPS HANDA UK Championship in August 2020.
However, despite the G4D Tour being in its fourth season, many of the events take place away from DP World Tour golf, often put on the Monday or Tuesday of an event away from the spotlight where the opportunities for exposure are minimal – and with no prize money despite most of the field being professional.
“Live coverage for us is huge, the more people who come into the game they ned to be able to see what we can do so having the cameras are huge for us. This is definitely a start,” admitted Lawlor who feels requests to the powers that be for better exposure have fallen on deaf ears.
“I think we’ve tried to communicate, communicating doesn’t really work to be honest. I think the professionals accept what we do the likes of Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry. We played the first couple of years on tour alongside them and it wasn’t an issue.
“If we could get back to playing on the weekends and in between groups and get more coverage on TV, that’s what will grow this sport. Playing on a Monday and Tuesday won’t.”
Several players, including Lawlor, have called for disability golf to be included in the Paralympics. Disability golf has never been included in the Paralympic Games despite applying for Paris in 2024.
Lawlor admitted that to represent Ireland in the Games would be a dream in LA 2028, however, he stressed the need to grow the game on the main tours internally year by year as the number one priority.
“It would be massive to get to the Paralympics. But growing the sport internally is massive too. I think putting all your eggs in one basket every four years is a little ambitious. It would be unbelievable to get it there, but if we could grow it on the main tours it would be huge to get people into the game and then the Paralympics would be a feed on to that.”
As for his season, after a couple of trophyless seasons, Lawlor won the G4D Open at Woburn for a second time as well as Irish titles in Roganstown and Ardee.
“It’s been a pretty good season, winning the G4D Open was the highlight of the season. It meant the world to me to win that, it’s the biggest event on our calendar, to win it twice is so special. I love that event and hopefully be back over the next few years.”
