Andy DevaneyThe Disability Open became less a test of golf and more a polite invitation to melt at The Shire, where Oliver Hirst-Greenham kept his swing, his nerve and, just about, his grip to win the English Disability Open Scratch Championship for the second time.
In conditions that would have made a cactus request a parasol, the England Golf Disability Squad player produced rounds of level-par 72 and four-over 76 to finish three shots clear of 2025 champion Bradley Smith of Royal Cromer.
Jonathan Chown of Rowallan Castle finished third, five shots behind the champion, on a day when keeping the ball in play sounded simple enough until you factored in 35-degree heat, slick greens and hands doing their best impression of a leaking tap.
Hirst-Greenham Finds His Game When It Matters
Golf has a habit of making a fool of anyone who arrives too confident, so there was something quietly impressive about Hirst-Greenham’s honesty afterwards. This had not been a season of easy rhythm or effortless momentum. It had been work. Proper work. The sort done away from leaderboards, applause and trophy photographs.
Hirst-Greenham said: “It’s incredible. I wasn’t really expecting it because I’ve had such a rocky season but I’ve worked really hard to get my swing in a great place for this event. I’ve wanted to play The Shire for so long and I’m happy to get here and put two pretty good rounds together.
“The heat has been ridiculous. 35 degrees, the greens were rapid, so it was really difficult to concentrate, really difficult to hold on to your clubs, it was just a real challenge to keep the ball in play sometimes with wet fingers!”
There is the entire championship in two sentences: talent, preparation, discomfort and the deeply unglamorous business of trying not to fire a club into Hertfordshire by accident.
A Second Scratch Title Earned The Hard Way
The scorecard tells the clean version. Level par in round one. Four over in round two. Three-shot victory. Trophy secured.
But tournament golf is rarely that tidy. The English Disability Open Scratch Championship at The Shire demanded discipline rather than theatre. There was no need for heroics when the course and the weather were already throwing elbows.
Hirst-Greenham’s second title carries weight because it was built on control. He did enough early, absorbed the pressure, and kept his head while the heat did its level best to turn concentration into soup.
Behind him, Bradley Smith, representing Royal Cromer, pushed hard in defence of his 2025 title but had to settle for second. Chown’s third-place finish completed a strong podium in a field that had to manage both the golf course and the conditions.
Celebrations Begin With Five Hours In The Car
There are glamorous ways to celebrate a national championship. Champagne, speeches, perhaps a dinner that does not involve checking motorway traffic.
Hirst-Greenham had something more British in mind.
Asked about celebrations, the Morecambe golfer admitted: “I’ll be celebrating with a five-hour drive to start and I’m going to have a lie-in tomorrow after a few early starts this week! Then I’ll probably go out with my girlfriend for some food. I’ll probably put my trophy next to the old one on the mantelpiece when I get back!”
That is trophy-winning with admirable domestic realism. No confetti cannon. No choreographed social media nonsense. Just a long drive, a lie-in, food and a mantelpiece now operating as a small centre of excellence.
England Duty Comes Next
There will not be much time for Hirst-Greenham to sit and admire the silverware. He is set to represent the England Golf Disability Team at next month’s European Team Championships in Italy, where this victory should send him in with both confidence and competitive sharpness.
Hirst-Greenham added: “I’m looking forward to going over to Italy to represent England, we’ve got a really strong team, it’s going to be incredible and I can’t wait!”
For England Golf, that is precisely the sort of momentum you want before a European team event: a player tested in brutal conditions, already in the winner’s circle, and apparently still capable of smiling after two rounds in furnace-like heat.
Magatye Wins The Stableford Championship
The Disability Open Stableford Championship brought its own international flavour, with South Africa’s Andiswa Yolandi Magatye winning the title after compiling 61 points across two rounds.
Magatye finished four points clear of Italy’s Jacopo Luce, who took second place on 57 points. Formby Hall’s Leo Speariett was third on 56 points, rounding out a tightly fought contest beneath the main Scratch Championship headlines.
Net Titles For Ing And Ma
There were further honours in the net competitions. Amie Ing of Weston Turville won the Women’s Net Competition after finishing just three over her handicap.
In the Men’s Net, Hong Kong’s Andreas Ho Hin Ma claimed the title after finishing six under his handicap, six clear of nearest challenger Mike Gays of Brampton Park.
Across the divisions, the event underlined the depth and international reach of disability golf, from the scratch leaderboard to the Stableford and net competitions.
A Champion With Heat In His Hands And Silverware In The Car
Hirst-Greenham’s second English Disability Open Scratch Championship title was not won with fireworks. It was won with patience, restraint and the sort of stubborn competence that survives when the greens quicken, the hands slip and the temperature begins behaving like it has a personal grudge.
He arrived after a rocky season, left with another trophy, and now heads towards England duty in Italy with a timely reminder tucked beside him for the long drive home.
Not a bad week’s work, provided the air conditioning held out.
