4th Annual USGA Adaptive Open has 8 golfers from Michigan
The 4th Annual USGA Adaptive Open will be held July 7-9 at Woodmont Country Club, in Rockville, Maryland.
Michigan golfers who perform at a very high level despite their physical challenges have represented our state very well over the years, and 8 more are going to this month.
They are:
Sophia Howard, of Hudsonville, Mich., 18, Upper Limb Impairment, Qualifier Medalist
Kelsey Koch, of Grand Blanc, Mich., 32, Lower Limb Impairment, Qualifier
Ryan Lukkari, of West Bloomfield, Mich., 39, Upper Limb Impairment, Qualifier
James Moceri, of Rochester Hills, Mich., 36, Seated Players, Qualifier
Kim Moore, of Battle Creek, Mich., 44, Lower Limb Impairment, Exempt
Tracy Ramin, of Montrose, Mich., 53, Lower Limb Impairment, Qualifier
James Van Noord, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., 32, Coordination Impairment, Qualifier
Daniel Wiseman, of Haslett, Mich., 36, Lower Limb Impairment, Qualifier
Moore is exempt because she won the very first Adaptive Open, at Pinehurst, in the Women’s overall division. Moore lives in Battle Creek and coaches the women’s golf team at Western Michigan.
The championship is open to both male and female professional and amateur golfers with a World Handicap System™ Handicap Index of 36.4 or less and an eligible impairment confirmed by a WR4GD Pass. The impairment categories are as follows:
Intellectual Impairment
Lower Limb Impairment
Multiple Limb Amputee
Coordination Impairment (previously Neurological Impairment)
Seated Players
Short Stature
Upper Limb Impairment
Vision Impairment
The championship will be contested over 54 holes of stroke play, with a cut after 36 holes. Multiple sets of tees will be utilized. Carts are permitted for all players and caddies.
The USGA received 260 entries for the 2025 U.S. Adaptive Open, and for the second year, 18-hole qualifiers were conducted by Allied Golf Associations (AGAs) at eight sites across the country. The 96-player field includes competitors from 34 states and 10 countries. The championship’s youngest competitor is 16-year-old Ryder Barr of Celina, Texas, and Dennis Walters, of Jupiter, Fla., is the championship's oldest player at 75 years old. Of the 96 players in the field, 74 previously played in one or more of the past iterations of the USGA’s newest championship. 22 will be making their championship debut.
