England’s Kipp Popert shattered his own record on Monday at the U.S. Adaptive Open, and it might help him create a new record should he finish off another victory in the short history of the USGA championship.
Last year, the 27-year-old set the record for the lowest score in tournament history with a 65 in the first round at Sand Creek Station, eventually leading to his second win in the event. On Monday at Woodmont Country Club’s South Course in Rockville, Md., Popert shot an 11-under 61 in the first round, giving him a sizable six-shot lead with 36 holes to play.
Popert, who has cerebral palsy and competes in the Coordination Impairment category, has won the last two U.S. Adaptive Opens and has now positioned himself to become the first to ever three-peat in the event. Of course, this is only the fourth edition of the tournament, though that wouldn’t make the feat any less impressive.
Making it even more impressive was the fact that Popert missed a large chunk of time following toe fusion surgery this past January. Surgeries on his lower body are nothing new, as Popert has undergone multiple in his life to relieve pain in his legs and feet. But this latest surgery led to a layoff so long that he was unsure if he’d even be able to defend his title this week.
“I love the pressure,” Popert said on Monday. “It means you’re doing something good if you’ve got pressure. I’ve had a lot of months of boredom this year, so give me all of it.”
Popert made two eagles, eight birdies and just one bogey on the round, which was highlighted by a front-nine 29. The round came a day after he had to quit on his practice round after four holes because he was experiencing pain.
“Yesterday I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to give it a go. But I managed it well during the round,” he said.
Popert will begin his second round at 9:06 a.m. ET. At the completion of the second round, the field of 73 male players will be cut to the top 20 and ties for Wednesday’s final round.
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