World’s No 1 disabled golfer Kipp Popert: ‘The best need to play for a living. The sport has stopped’

The DP World Tour putting its G4D disabled tour in cold storage does not fit the growing the game narrative, the Englishman argues

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ipp Popert is a man on a mission. The 27-year‑old Englishman, who tops the disabled world rankings, uses one word a lot: “opportunity”. Popert was “shocked” to hear from the DP World Tour that its G4D circuit, which staged a handful of tournaments per year for disabled players between 2022 and 2025, has been placed into cold storage.

The G4D Open, a tournament for 80 golfers with disabilities, will be staged at Celtic Manor from Thursday. It takes place thousands of miles from Pennsylvania and this week’s US PGA Championship, which last year bestowed $3.4m (£2.5m) on Scottie Scheffler. Even the main platform for players in this domain does not offer prize money. It is not Popert’s way to lambast anyone. He instead calmly articulates the impact of that move.

“In order for kids to see the future and to have inspiration on the tough days, the best players in the world need to be able to play regularly for a living,” Popert says. “That’s what the DP World Tour set out to achieve and we are all really grateful to them. It is just a shame that the sport at the moment has stopped.