The fifth edition of the U.S. Adaptive Open begins on July 6 with a total of 96 players in the field. Ages range in age from 76-year-old Dennis Walters, winner of the inaugural 2022 U.S. Adaptive Open men’s Seated Players category and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, to 15-year-old Tommy Morrissey, who was born without the lower part of his right arm and has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram.
The 54-hole event will once again be held at Woodmont Country Club’s South Course in Rockville, Maryland. There are five past champions returning, including three-time champion Kipp Popert (2023, 2024, 2025) and two-time champion Kim Moore (2022, 2025).
Kim Moore and Kipp Popert celebrate with their trophies at the 2025 U.S. Adaptive Open.
There were 250 entries for this year’s championship, and qualifying took place at eight sites across the U.S. between April 22 and May 26.
The eight impairment categories include:
Coordination Impairment (formerly Neurological Impairment)
Five different yardages will be used for the event, with the longest stretching to 6,421 yards and the shortest, for female seated players, coming in at 3,575 yards.
Among the 11 newcomers in the field, are Joshua Philbeck, a 51-year-old from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, who was born with Holt-Oram syndrome and without radii in both arms. Philbeck has eight fingers (no thumbs) and will compete in the multiple limb amputee category.
Karen Veriato, 64, makes her debut in the coordination impairment category. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, she underwent deep brain stimulation surgery the following year. Veriato has qualified for four USGA championships, including last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. After caddying for her husband, Steven, during his time on the PGA Tour Champions, the roles will switch at Woodmont.
The final round of the U.S. Adaptive Open once again will be broadcast live on Golf Channel from 1–4 p.m. E.T on Wednesday, July 8.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: US Adaptive Open is the most inspiring event in golf. What to know