Austin Brown medals in first-ever U.S. Adaptive Open qualifying

by Logan Groeneveld-Meijer 

In advance of the 2025 U.S. Adaptive Open, the Pacific Northwest contributed to setting its field, for the first time. 

As evidence of the growing popularity and competitiveness of this national championship, for the first time in its brief history, eight qualifying events were held around the country. Prior to this year, competitors were selected for the championship simply by filling out an entry form and hoping their past performance in other events, along with their particular disability, would be enough for them to be chosen as one of the 96 players in the field.  

American Lake Veterans Golf Course (ALVGC) in Lakewood, Wash., itself an outlet for military and wounded veterans to be introduced to the game, hosted on May 28 one of these newly established qualifiers, which was conducted by WA Golf. There was a field of 14 players with physical and/or cognitive disabilities vying for a spot in the championship proper, which will be held at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. from July 7-9.

The conditions were just about perfect. Under a cloudless Cascadian sky with ample sunshine, Austin Brown of Richland, Wash., earned medalist honors with a 1-under-par round of 70 to punch his ticket. 

Brown, 28, will make his third start in the national championship, and his journey has been nothing short of exceptional.  

His lower left leg – born without a fibula – was amputated when he was just nine months old. But it has not prevented him from becoming an established golfer throughout his life. 

Growing up on a prosthesis and playing under the tutelage of his father, he earned varsity letters in all four years of play on the boys’ golf team at Southridge High School in nearby Kennewick and captained the program in three. In his senior year, he earned Mid-Columbia Conference MVP Honors, along with a fourth-place finish in that year’s high school state championship, part of a combination of success that led to him playing a season on the Washington State University men’s team. His previous attempts at the U.S. Adaptive Open include a 10th place finish in the 2023 championship.  

Qualifying for this one in his home state, the upward trend in adaptive golf expansion and representation has been a welcome sight. 

“In the past years it’s been overseas or on the east coast mainly,” he said of his journey in playing events wherever he can. “Every year it seems there’s more and more people, more and more qualifiers, and more and more areas across the United States and the world that are represented.” 

Working full-time in Richland as a project manager for a construction company, Brown annually has the U.S. Adaptive Open circled on his calendar.  

“It’s kind of the one event per year that I get up for,” he said. “I try the hardest whenever I play golf, but this is kind of the one championship where it just means a lot.” 

Adaptive golf is a mission that aligns with ALVGC’s goals. Established in the 1950s and situated on the grounds of VA Hospital, it has been a rehabilitative haven for injured veterans for decades. It is the only military golf course in the U.S. that is managed and maintained by an all-volunteer staff, known as Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course. Today, it offers rehabilitation, therapy, socialization and more for its clientele. Sam Williams, himself a U.S. Army Colonel in a 33-year military career, is the assistant general manager at ALVGC.

The championship, first held in 2022 and open to men and women, is conducted by the United States Golf Association. The eligibility requirements are that a player must have a WR4GD Pass, and a Handicap Index not exceeding 36.4.

WR4GD Certification is a process that the game of golf uses to confirm that an individual has an impairment that severely affects their ability to play golf. The WR4GD Pass establishes that a qualified individual is eligible to participate in any adaptive golf event.

The U.S. Adaptive Open itself will soon be coming to the Pacific Northwest, with the championship scheduled to be held at Sunriver (Ore.) Resort in 2027 and 2028.  

Click here for more information about this national championship.