George Groves, the world’s top-ranked disabled golfer, claimed his first title on home soil when he beat a strong international field to win the 2019 English Disability Open held at Stoke by Nayland in Suffolk.
Groves, from Horne Park Golf Club in Surrey, carded rounds of 77 and 74 to claim a five-shot victory over fellow Surrey player Duncan Hamilton-Martin (St George’s Hill, with yet another Surrey golfer, Ami Bullock (Woking), taking third place a further four shots behind.
The tournament attracted 42 competitors from across Britain, France and Holland.
Grove’s impressive victory made up for the disappointment of being pipped to the title 12 months ago, and should also earn him a place in the field for the disability event being run in tandem with the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November.
“It was great to get my first English title under the belt,” said Groves. “There’s a lot of competition out there for my world No.1 slot, and hopefully this is enough to secure my place to Dubai. I really loved the course and the competitors here at Stoke by Nayland and I’m really happy with the result.”