Adaptive Golf Team International Match Play Comes to Michigan
Metro Detroit first ever American host
By Tom Lang
People who love golf but must adapt to play by overcoming amputations, blindness, cerebral challenges and the like are a true inspiration to others who take their own ‘normalcy’ for granted.
Celebrating their adaptive golfing achievements and fueling their competitiveness are events like the Cairns Cup, which will make its first-ever U.S. hosting appearance in late July at Cherry Creek Golf Club in Shelby Twsp.
The Cairns Cup is a week-long festival of disability golf, with the main event taking place July 31-August 2. It features six Fourball matches, six Foursomes and 12 Singles – basically a Ryder Cup for Adaptive Golf. After the inaugural event in 2022 in England, the 2024 match moves to American, and Michigan, soil.
“Allied golf associations like the GAM as well as the USGA have really stepped up their support of adaptive golf in the past five years and this is an important community of golfers to us,” said Chris Whitten, Executive Director of the Golf Association of Michigan, which is providing volunteers to track scoring, handle rules officiating and more.
“The fact that this event showcases the best adaptive golfers from the United States versus Europe is special; then add in that the competition is taking place in our own backyard. It’s an honor for us to help make the experience as memorable as we can for these players.”
Of the 16 American players, seven are Michiganders:
Kim Moore (Captain) – Michigan – Leg Amputee
Kellie Valentine (Vice Captain) –Pennsylvania – Arm Amputee
Jonathon Snyder (Vice Captain) – North Carolina – Arm Impairment
Evan Mathias – Indiana – Double Leg Amputee
Tracy Ramin – Michigan – Leg Amputee (2022 Captain)
Jeremy Bittner – Pennsylvania – Leg Amputee
Brian Bemis – Michigan – Leg Amputee
Sophia Howard – Michigan – Arm Impairment
Brandon Williams – Ohio – Leg Amputee
Kevin Holland – Michigan – Cerebral Palsy
Steve Doudt – Indiana – Seated Player
Greg Hooper – Georgia – Partially Sighted
Kelsey Koch – Michigan – Leg Amputee
Amy Bockerstette – Indiana – Down Syndrome
Marcus Williams – Georgia – Seated Player
Jason Rose – Michigan – Neurological disorder
Having Moore as captain is not a stretch at all; she is the coach of Western Michigan’s women’s golf team. Despite having a leg prosthetic most of her life, Moore played college golf and spent a couple years on the Epson Tour before college coaching. She was a player on the winning-inaugural Cairns Cup team in Europe two years ago, after Moore won the women’s division of the first ever USGA Adaptive Open, played at Pinehurst in 2022.
“Every member of the Cairns Cup Team, including myself, are so humbled and honored to be representing our country,” Moore told me. “The comradery between the two teams will be very evident, but once the first tee is in the ground on the first day, the competitiveness will be on full display. I hope that the Cairns Cup will continue to bring awareness and notoriety to adaptive golf and I hope that anyone watching or following along will be inspired by the stories and the golf they see.”
Cherry Creek has been deeply involved in the planning the past year, led by Erle Webber, Managing Partner at Cherry Creek.
“I encourage everyone who enjoys the game of golf and is perhaps equally curious about seeing these courageous men and women play the game with such skill despite their physical disadvantages,” he said. “Those who choose to attend will have their perspectives forever changed.
“By attending the Cairns Cup, you will see first-hand how a person overcomes their disability and instead focuses solely on what they can do and they push themselves to perform with excellence… in an international match play golf competition with athletes who can play competitive golf while proudly representing their nation.”
For more information visit: https://www.thecairnscup.com/
