Maryland will host the 2025 U.S. Adaptive Open. Here's what to know.
Woodmont Country Club in Rockville will host the fourth U.S. Adaptive Open Championship starting Monday and lasting through Wednesday. Here's what you need to know about the unique event's first visit to Maryland.
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What is the U.S. Adaptive Open?
The championship, which began in 2022, showcases the world's best golfers with disabilities. There are eight impairment categories included in the event:
Upper limb impairment
Lower limb impairment
Multiple limb amputee
Vision impairment
Intellectual impairment
Coordination impairment
Seated players
Short stature
To enter, golfers need a World Ranking for Golfers with Disability pass. The process of receiving a pass involves certification, confirming that a player has an impairment that severely impacts their ability to play golf.
The end result of the qualification process is one of the most inspiring golf tournaments in the world.
'I feel like I've learned a lot more inspiring stories than mine,' joked Cassie Sengul, a 19-year-old Virginian with cerebral palsy. 'It's really cool to see how everybody can play and adapt to the game. We all want to see each other win. It's really special to see.'
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Sengul competed in the 2024 championship, and she's back in 2025 as a rising sophomore competing at Drew University in New Jersey. She's one of 96 players who qualified into the field, which had 260 tournament applicants.
When is the tournament?
The tournament begins on Monday and will run through Wednesday, with practice rounds this weekend. Here's the full schedule of events for the week:
Saturday, practice round
Sunday, practice round
Monday, Round 1
Tuesday, Round 2
Wednesday, Round 3
There will be a 36-hole cut after Tuesday's round, trimming the field to the top 20 and ties for men and top 10 and ties for women. Additionally, the top three men and ties and top two women and ties from each impairment category will advance to Wednesday's final round of play. Any player within five strokes of their impairment category leader will also move onto Wednesday's third round.
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Where is the tournament?
Woodmont Country Club's South Course will play host to the tournament, with four sets of tees in play — it's the only USGA championship that utilizes different sets of tees for participants. The shortest tees will play 4,402 yards, while the longest set of tees will play 6,429 yards.
The South Course was redesigned in 2023 by Joel Weiman, and it presents players with a unique test of golf. The course's redesign was completed with accessibility in mind.
During the event, pin placements will be in accessible areas of greens, ensuring players in the field don't have difficulty moving near the hole. Bunkers on the course all have 'sand ramps' into them, ensuring that all players can access the hazard without needing to step up or down. The course's bunkering looks more like what you'd see in Australia compared to a typical U.S. course, with bunkers often cutting directly into greens rather than being separated with an area of rough.
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The 2025 U.S. Adaptive Open marks the second time Woodmont will host a USGA Championship. The venue hosted the 2020 U.S. Women's Amateur. Woodmont will also host the 2026 U.S. Adaptive Open.
The first two U.S. Adaptive Opens were held in North Carolina, and the 2024 event took place in Kansas.
Can I buy tickets or watch on TV?
Admission into the tournament is free and fans don't need tickets to enter. For those attending in person, parking is available on site at 1201 Rockville Pike in Rockville. Because of limited parking, tournament officials encourage carpooling and ride sharing.
For the first time, the final round of the championship will also air live on TV. From 2-4 p.m. on Wednesday, Golf Channel will broadcast the final round of the tournament. Golf Channel will feature highlights and live look-ins from the event during the first two rounds.
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The USGA will also have coverage of the event, including live scoring and video highlights available on usga.org.
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Who's in the field?
The field consists of 96 players, including three Marylanders — Vince Biser (Towson, coordination impairment), Jack Bonifant (Sandy Spring, coordination impairment), and Ford Martin (Potomac, coordination impairment).
The three Maryland natives are among the best players in the field, with Martin and Bonifant finishing fifth and 11th in the 2024 event, respectively. Biser, a 37 year old who swings one-handed, is a 3.5 handicap who regularly scores in the 70s.
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Bonifant played collegiately at James Madison University, and the 35 year old is a +0.2 handicap. Martin, 32, hits the ball well over 300 yards off the tee with a 120 mph swing speed, and he's listed as a +0.6 handicap. In his second year in the event, Martin hopes lessons learned from 2024 will lead to him winning the 2025 men's championship.
Martin, who now lives in Tennessee but maintains a membership at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, has worked hard on his wedge game in advance of the championship. He's eager to showcase his improving skillset in his home state.
'It means everything,' Martin said. 'It's as close to a home game as I could possibly have. Growing up in Maryland and still having my family here, it means the world just to be able to represent and hopefully play well.'
Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin.
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