3 Things to Know: 5th U.S. Adaptive Open

On the heels of a celebratory Fourth of July weekend and the ongoing excitement around the World Cup, the U.S. Adaptive Open is back at Woodmont Country Club’s South Course in Rockville, Md., to deliver its signature blend of competitive excellence and camaraderie. Now in its fifth year, the championship again features a field of 96 competitors ranging in age from 15 to 76 and competing across eight different impairment categories.

Golf Channel will broadcast the final round of the 54-hole championship on Wednesday, July 8, from 1 to 4 p.m. EDT and provide live updates throughout the three days of the championship, thanks to continued support from USGA partner Deloitte. The coverage is an indication of just how strongly this championship has captured the hearts and minds of golf fans in the U.S. and beyond; 33 U.S. states and eight countries are represented in the field.

Three-time defending men’s champion Kipp Popert put into perspective what this championship signifies to the adaptive golf community.

“What the USGA does this week is incredible,” said Popert, 28, of England. “It is by far the pinnacle of what we get to do every year. It doesn’t seem like they’re backing down… just continuing to go this way with it and I’m so grateful to them and their partners for the support.” 

Here are 3 things to know heading into Monday’s opening round.

Morning Waves

While the U.S. Adaptive Open is no stranger to summer heat and steamy conditions, the forecast for the early part of the week prompted tee time adjustments for the first two rounds of the championship. The changes were made to give the field the best chance of completing Rounds 1 and 2 on schedule.

The good news is that an approaching frontal boundary will lessen the heat wave that has gripped the eastern U.S. for the last week, but along with it is an increased chance for afternoon thunderstorms. As a result, the entire field will play in a morning wave for Monday’s Round 1 and Tuesday’s Round 2, with tee times between 7:30 a.m. and 9:42 a.m. off the 1st and 10th tees.

The players will be grouped in foursomes, which is not typically done in championship play but is not as much of an obstacle in the U.S. Adaptive Open. “It’s like a big family reunion every year,” said two-time and defending women’s champion Kim Moore. “That's the kind of camaraderie we have around here. Every year it's obviously a competitive tournament and we want to do or best, but we also know everybody is out here supporting each other.”

Fresh Faces

Hope springs eternal for every competitor on the eve of a USGA championship, but there is something special for the 12 players making their U.S. Adaptive Open debuts in 2026. While three of the U.S. Adaptive Open rookies are in their 60s, there is one who was barely out of elementary school when the U.S. Adaptive Open debuted in 2022.

“This means so much to me,” said Tommy Morrissey, 15, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. “I knew about the U.S. Adaptive Open and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. To make it at such a young age, and especially qualifying for it my first attempt, means a lot.”

In true Gen Z fashion, Morrissey has a sizable Instagram following – onearmgolfer is his handle – and became widely known for appearing in golf videos when he was as young as 3. Morrissey was born without the lower part of his right arm and contributes time and effort to support children with limb impairments.

When qualifying for this championship was introduced in 2024, it opened new pathways for players to earn a spot in the field. Ten of the other first-time competitors also gained entry to the U.S. Adaptive Open via qualifying. The one exception is Maria Rita Fernandez, 57, a visually impaired golfer who earned an exemption based on the Impairment Category minimum. Fernandez is also the first female in the championship’s history to represent Argentina.

Record Chasers

It’s challenging to come up with new superlatives to describe the performance by Kipp Popert in the last three years of the U.S. Adaptive Open. After winning his first of three consecutive titles in 2023 by one stroke at Pinehurst No. 6, Popert won by four strokes in 2024 at Sand Creek Station in Kansas and then lapped the field here at Woodmont in 2025, winning by 12 strokes with an astounding total of 24-under-par 192.

With his victory last year, Popert, 28, of England, joined Willie Anderson (1903-05 U.S. Open), Carl Kauffmann (1927-29 U.S. Public Links) and Tiger Woods (twice, 1991-93 U.S. Junior Amateur and 1994-96 U.S. Amateur) as the only male competitors to win the same championship three years in a row. This year, he seeks to stand alone in the USGA record books with a fourth straight title.

Similar to Popert, defending women’s champion Moore, now of Fort Wayne, Ind., is looking to build on her record of success in the U.S. Adaptive Open. A victory for her this week would be her third – she also won the inaugural championship in 2022.

There have been 23 female players in USGA history to win the same event three times in their career, but a victory for Moore, 45, would allow her to join Beatrix Hoyt (1896-98 U.S. Women’s Amateur) as the only players to win a championship three times in the first five years of its existence.