Kipp Popert is on track to claim his fourth G4D Tour title of the season after a hole-in-one helped him build a five-shot lead at the midway point of the G4D Tour @ Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
The Englishman fired a three-under par round of 68 at Real Club Valderrama on Monday to take control of the sixth and penultimate event in Spain, which features ten of the top 11 golfers with a disability.
The highlight of his day came at the par-three sixth as the World Number Two holed a pitching wedge from 125 yards, with home hope Juan Postigo Arce his nearest challenger at two over.
“I am very satisfied,” said Popert. “My only aim was to not get angry the whole way around and I did that.
“I thought if I go in the trees, I will just chip it out. I putted well, and I’ll just go again tomorrow.”
Popert started his day with a birdie at the first and another at the fifth, with bogeys at the third and ninth either side of the spectacular hole-in-one at the sixth in a front nine of 33.
He dropped his third shot of the day at the par-five 11th but responded with two birdies in his next four holes on his way to opening up a commanding advantage after day one.
Postigo Arce mixed back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth with three bogeys in an eventful front of 36, before one further dropped shot on the back nine at the par-three 12th.
Reflecting on making the first hole-in-one on the G4D Tour this year, Popert added: “I didn’t know what direction it was going as I couldn’t see the ball. I thought if I could carry past [the pin] we would see what happens and it went in, so that was nice!”
World Number One Brendan Lawlor, Sweden’s Rasmus Lia and Canada’s Kurtis Barkley were all in a share of third, six adrift of leader Popert, after opening with a round of three-over 74 in Sotogrande.
