U.S. Adaptive Open: Frequently Asked Questions

For the 2025 U.S. Adaptive Open Championship, players must have a WR4GD Pass (World Ranking for Golfers with Disability).

Players with Intellectual Impairment will also need Virtus II1 International Eligibility.

Amateur players and players awaiting reinstatement must have a Handicap Index® of 36.4 or less.

Professional players do not need a Handicap Index.

Yes, professionals and amateurs can enter the championship.

Yes, the USGA has announced the following exemptions for the 2025 U.S. Adaptive Open:

Female and Male overall winners of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open Championship (this is a five-year exemption).

Kim Moore (2022, Female)
Ryanne Jackson (2023, Female)
Bailey Bish (2024, Female)
Simon Lee (2022, Male)
Kipp Popert (2023, Male)
Kipp Popert (2024, Male)

From the 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open Championship, the five lowest overall female and male scorers, plus ties.

FEMALE
Bailey Bish
Kim Moore
Ryanne Jackson
Amanda Cunha
Cassandra Sengul

MALE
Kipp Popert
Simon Lee
Brendan Lawlor
Issa Nlareb
Ford Martin
Mike Browne

From the 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open Championship, the lowest female scorer and lowest male scorer from each Impairment Category, plus ties.

FEMALE
Bailey Bish (Coordination Impairment)
Natasha Stasiuk (Intellectual Impairment)
Kim Moore (Lower Limb Impairment)
Rose Veldman (Multiple Limb Amputee)
Annie Hayes (Seated Players)
Cathy Walch (Upper Limb Impairment)
Amanda Cunha (Vision Impairment)

MALE
Kipp Popert (Coordination Impairment)
Simon Lee (Intellectual Impairment)
Mike Browne (Lower Limb Impairment)
Issa Nlareb (Multiple Limb Amputee)
Max Togisala (Seated Players)
Brendan Lawlor (Short Stature)
Chris Willis (Upper Limb Impairment)
Kiefer Jones (Vision Impairment)

Overall female and male champion from the 2024 Canadian All Abilities Championship, presented by BDO. (Must meet eligibility requirements):

Natasha Stasiuk (Female)
Chris Willis (Male)

Overall female champion and overall male champion from the 2025 G4D Open. Must meet all other eligibility requirements. Blank entries will be filed by the USGA for players who become exempt after the close of entries.

From the current WR4GD (World Ranking for Golfers with Disability) Gross Ranking, the top 10 men’s point leaders and anyone tying for 10^th place as of April 2, 2025. Players must select a qualifying site at the time of entry. Must meet all other eligibility requirements (Must have an entry filed by April 9, 2025).

From the current WR4GD (World Ranking for Golfers with Disability) Gross Ranking, the top 5 women’s point leaders and anyone tying for 5^th place as of April 2, 2025. Players must select a qualifying site at the time of entry. Must meet all other eligibility requirements (Must have an entry filed by April 9, 2025).

Special Exemptions selected by the USGA. Must have filed an entry by April 9, 2025. Deadline for submission of request: April 9, 2025. Players must select a qualifying site at the time of entry. (NOTE: Blank entries will be filed by the USGA for players who become exempt after close of entries.)

It’s easy to get a Handicap Index®! It only takes three 18-hole scores to get started, which can be made up of any combination of 9- or 18-hole rounds (and it can include rounds you have already played).

The simplest way to get a Handicap Index is to visit usga.org/getahandicap and join the USGA/AGA Community in your area.

You can also contact your local Allied Golf Association (state or regional golf association) for assistance with finding a club in your area that best suits your needs.

For players outside of the United States:

Contact your National Association for assistance with getting a Handicap Index.

The eligible impairments are:

Coordination Impairments
Impaired Muscle Power
Impaired Passive Range of Movement
Limb Deficiency/Limb Length Difference
Short Stature
Vision Impairment
Intellectual Impairment
Source: International Paralympic Committee

For more information, please see the Championship Regulations.

The USGA uses the following Impairment Categories to set the field, assign tees, and award prizes:

Intellectual Impairment
Lower Limb Impairment
Multiple Limb Amputee
Coordination Impairment
Seated Players
Short Stature
Upper Limb Impairment
Vision Impairment

For more information, please see the Championship Regulations.

A WR4GD Pass certifies eligibility to compete in the U.S. Adaptive Open Championship. Information on how to apply can be found here.

Players with Intellectual Impairment will need to start the process in the USA by going to Athletes Without Limits and applying for Virtus II1 International Eligibility. Players outside of the USA can look up their national Virtus contact here.

As it can take some time to apply for and receive a WR4GD Pass and Virtus II1 International Eligibility, players who have not already begun this process may not receive eligibility in time.

In the USA, players with Intellectual Impairment who have not submitted completed applications to Athletes Without Limits by February 10, 2024, may not receive Virtus II1 International Eligibility in time to have their entries accepted for this year’s championship. For players from other countries, please go to https://www.virtus.sport/member to receive confirmation regarding timelines.

The following medical assessors are available:

Dr. Prakash Jayabalan, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, Chicago, Ill., by appointment: (312) 238-7326.
Ross Brakeville, DPT, Atlanta, Ga., by appointment: Ross@georgiasportsmedicinespecialists.com or (678) 469-3007.
Dr. Adam Kassam, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by appointment: adamkassam@gmail.com

To view your WR4GD Pass number, please visit https://edgagolf.com/online/players/. You can also visit your EDGA profile by going to the upper right corner of the EDGA home page, and clicking on Login. Enter your e-mail address and select Forgot Password if you do not know your password. Questions? Email applications@edgagolf.com.

If you have Virtus II1 International Eligibility, but don’t know your number, please go to: https://www.virtus.sport/eligibility-master-list.

Entries open on Feb. 11, and you can register online at champ-admin.usga.org.

Yes there will be qualifying at eight sites. Entries open on Feb. 11.

Each qualifying site has a maximum capacity, so those spots will fill on a first come, first served basis. Players who don’t enter early run the risk of not getting accepted into their preferred qualifying site location.

A Qualifying Score Value (QSV) is the mechanism that will be used to compare players in each Impairment Category across all of the qualifying sites and determine which ones will make it to the Championship.

A QSV is an adjusted Score Differential^TM. The adjustments are as follows:

1. A unique playing conditions calculation (PCC) will be created using scores only from each qualifying site field. Scores made on each course that day by players not participating in the qualifier will not be included. All scores that are 10.0 or more strokes above the player's expected score (relative to their Handicap Index®) will not be considered within this unique PCC.

2. Scores used to determine the QSV for each player will not be adjusted for net double bogey.

3. For Impairment Categories where multiple tees are used, the Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™ from the longest tees played within the Impairment Category will be used at each course to determine the QSV for all players in that Impairment Category.

As a result of these adjustments, players may have a QSV that differs from the Score Differential that is posted and used in the calculation of their Handicap Index®.