Simon Seungmin Lee from the Republic of Korea and Germany’s Jennifer Sräga enjoyed memorable first victories at The G4D Open after a tense final day at Celtic Manor Resort.
Both the men’s and women’s championships provided drama to the final hole in Wales before Lee and Sräga narrowly prevailed over the Roman Road Course.
Lee, number two on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), savoured success on his debut at The G4D Open, closing with a one-over-par 71 for a winning total of three-over 213 for the 54 holes. The 28-year-old held his nerve for a par down the last to edge out overnight leader, Issa Nlareb A Amang from Cameroon, by a shot.
Sräga, 26, denied Daphne van Houten from the Netherlands a hat-trick of titles after also making a crucial par on the 18th to triumph by a stroke on a winning total of 246.
The G4D Open, staged in partnership with The R&A and the DP World Tour and supported by EDGA, was held at Celtic Manor for the first time after three previous editions at Woburn. The Championship is one of the most inclusive ever held, with the world’s most talented golfers with disabilities displaying their skills.
G4D Open debut for Lee
Lee, who is autistic, added to his titles after triumphing at the US Adaptive Open in 2022. He also won the 2025 ISPS HANDA Australian All Abilities Championship and the Glico Paragolf Championship in Japan for three straight years.
“I’m feeling great,” said Lee. “I wasn’t able to play in The G4D Open in previous years because of my domestic tournament schedule, so I’m really happy that the days worked out this year and I could finally come and compete here.
“The course was very tough and there were many outstanding competitors. So it’s a big honour for me to win such a great championship. My mother is also here so I’m happy.”
Nlareb A Amang pulled to within a stroke of Lee after a brilliant 40-yard chip-in for eagle at the par fourth 17th with his 9-iron, but he struggled in the cold conditions throughout the final day and racked up 40 putts in his closing 73.
The 35-year-old was a professional player when, in 2018, bacterial meningitis led to a double leg amputation and severely damaged hands. The world number seven has since fought back to health and last month won the EDGA Tour Pas de Calais in France before also making his G4D Open debut.
He said, “I was unlucky the way I played this week. It was not my week. Today with the rain and the cold I couldn’t feel my fingers. I couldn’t feel my feet. I felt very cold on the golf course, but I tried to manage, and I was unlucky because I had a lot of putts near the hole or around it. I made a lot of three-putts, maybe 40 putts today.