Hirst-Greenham claims emphatic win at PING Scottish Open for Golfers with a Disability

English ace earns seven-shot victory at Rowallan Castle

Oliver Hirst-Greenham held his nerve today to claim a fantastic seven-shot victory at the 2025 PING Scottish Open for Golfers with a Disability.

The Englishman followed Thursday’s opening level par round of 72 with a 77 to finish on +5 for the championship and well clear of the chasing pack led by Manchester-based Scot Barry Wearing. England’s Jonathan Chown was in third spot with Scots Paul Ellison, Gordon McLay and South Africa’s Jay-Jay Botha in fourth. Hirst-Greenham admitted he was a little nervous protecting a five-shot overnight lead, but had enough gas in the tank to get over the line with plenty to spare.

Having won his own national open in 2023, the man from Morecambe has now added the PING-sponsored Scottish title to his list of honours and hopes to continue his winning streak over the summer months.

He said: “It’s amazing and it’s been such a long day! It’s a great feeling and I’ve worked really hard for this and I wanted to win it.

“I didn’t play as well today as I did yesterday which was frustrating. Everyone was the same and it was a tough challenge, but I really enjoyed it.

“It was a relief when I won because I was fighting the wind all day. I wanted the last putt to drop as I hadn’t holed anything but I ended up missing it as well. “I’ve got the G4D Open next week at Woburn. I feel like I’m in good enough form to do better and hopefully win but definitely compete. “I’ll look at the other Opens now too – I’ve won the English and now I’ve got the Scottish... I might as well go for the Irish and the Welsh and I’ve got them all!”

Hirst-Greenham is one of the longest hitters on the circuit despite being born with hip dysplasia, a condition which causes him pain and discomfort. This week he managed his game superbly to win a championship - in only its second year – that continues to go from strength to strength.

“We’re all one big community and all pull for each other,” he added. “Even people who pulled out injured today stayed behind to support the other golfers. That’s just what we’re like and it’s fantastic.” A total of 58 golfers started the event with Australia’s Adam Letherbarrow striking the first shot at 9am on day one and cracking the first joke of the round before he’d left the tee.

Once again, this event, one of the most popular and eagerly anticipated on the Scottish Golf calendar, was played in an atmosphere of laughter and fun highlighting how strong the bond is between competitors in the disability golf community. The spirit in which the event was played was almost as remarkable as the golf on show. Male and female golfers from 10 nations around the world including India, Netherlands, Italy, Germany and the four home nations put aside their physical or mental impairments, to show a genuine skill and passion for the game.

Hirst-Greenham should have been hampered by a broken bone in his left wrist sustained lifting a concrete block in the build-up to the event. But a protective strapping allowed him to play without pain and the scoring reflected as much. For day two, Hirst-Greenham may have been nervous, but didn’t show it as he set about cementing his place at the top of the leaderboard. While the Englishman took the championship trophy, there were also two other categories of competition within the structure of the one event.

Golfers with a handicap index up to 18.4 were eligible to play in a net event with Glencruitten’s Martin Shields taking the prize, six shots clear of his nearest rival. In the Stableford section for golfers with a handicap index greater than 18.5, Italy’s Fabrizio Gardiol took the spoils.

Commenting on the success of the championship, Toni Ffinch, senior events manager at Scottish Golf, said: “Congratulations to all our winners, but I must offer sincere thanks to all our golfers who supported this event and made it such a hugely enjoyable two days.

“We wondered how we might top the inaugural event from last year, but I think the players – not only by their play, but by the way they embraced this championship - have helped us achieve that. “Rowallan Castle, led by George Campbell, were fantastic hosts where no request was too much trouble and we look forward to working with the club again in the future. “Next year, the challenge for us is to keep growing this event, providing more opportunities for play to those golfers who share our vision to make golf Scotland’s game for everyone.”