Late April’s qualifying for the 4th U.S. Adaptive Open Championship saw Jack Bonifant of Kensington, Md., and Meredith Dwyer of Hackensack, N.J., (both pictured above) earn medalist honors and the two advancing positions from Haworth Country Club in Haworth, N.J. However, once qualifiers across the country were completed, remaining spots were determined by Impairment Category and gender across all eight sites using an adjusted Score Differential. After receiving 260 entries, the completed field contains 96 competitors from 34 states and 10 countries, with more players from the Haworth qualifier earning their spot in the July 7-9 championship at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md.
Bonifant earned his spot through a playoff with Brandon Canesi of Northfield, N.J., which took four holes to decide, but in the end Canesi earned a spot in the championship as well. Canesi had carded a 2-over 74 to match Bonifant at Canesi and now will make his fourth start in the championship.
Jarrett Fultz of Queen Creek, Ariz., also earned a spot following his 3-over 75 at Haworth, as did Douglas Shirakura of Somers, N.Y., and Canada’s Russell Aide with scores of 76 and 78, respectively.
Fultz, 24, will make his debut in the championship while both Shirakura and Aide will be making their third appearance in the championship. Aide, 18, was the medalist from the Haworth qualifier in 2024.
The U.S. Adaptive Open is a 54-hole stroke-play tournament that serves as the USGA’s 15th and newest national championship the association offers. The championship is open to qualifying men and women with a handicap of 36.4 or less and a WR4GD Pass that confirms an eligible impairment. Year after year, the championship encourages both professional and amateur golfers with impairments and disabilities to showcase their skills while competing alongside one another. Each golfer has their own unique story, and the championship provides them with a platform to share that with the golf community while inspiring others to do the same.