Meet the Host of the ISPS HANDA World Disability Invitational: Brendan Lawlor

Brendan Lawlor has been making his mark around the world for several years with high-profile wins on the EDGA Tour while showcasing disability golf to a wider audience. He's been a driving force in bringing disability golf into the mainstream and became the first disabled golfer to compete on the European Tour since Ced Lescut in 2015 when he played at the UK Championship in 2020.

This week Brendan creates history yet again as he hosts the first ISPS HANDA World Disability Invitational. Located at Massereene Golf Club and Galgorm Castle Golf Club, the world's best from the European Tour, LPGA and Ladies European Tour will compete alongside the best talents from the world of disability golf. We can't wait to watch it unfold.

We caught up with the man of the moment to reflect on his golfing journey and to share a couple of unique insights into his game.

My grandad got me into the game from a very young age, and I played pitch and putt for a long time before starting to play when I was 16 years old. I went to the range with him and fell in love with the game; hitting straight shots and the addictiveness of hitting shot after shot got me.

My lowest ever score would be -7 (65) at the Irish Open Pro-Am.

I've had one hole-in-one which was in the Czech Republic on the 8th hole at the Czech Open with a 7 iron 164 yards, and I went onto win the tournament which was great.

My favourite course would have to be Royal Portrush. It's a golf course where I played a lot of college golf and have had some good scores. It's not even the golf course, it's the views and sceneries, you're looking at so many beautiful things, but in Ireland, you're really spoilt for choice.

The best way I can describe my relationship with Niall and Modest Golf is one big family. What I admire about them the most is that even though I'm a disability golfer they never treat me any differently from day one. They've treated me like everyone on their stable, and everyone is treated the same. They've got me the sponsorship, got me into events, they promote the game on a world stage, and I'm forever grateful.

The best advice I can give is to enjoy it, because the key to success is enjoying the game.

I was born with an extra finger and had them removed when I was two years old, so that's pretty surprising!

It would have to be two things, my Pulseroll massage gun and my Kinetica sport bars, little shout out there!

I have a few Kinetica sport bars. I'm not a huge fan of eating food during a round. I should probably do more, but I would go through two or three protein bars in a round.

I'd have to say Tiger Woods as he's one of the greatest, Pádraig Harrington, Ryder Cup Captain and one of my favourite golfers and then Kevin Hart as he's not much bigger than me.

It's been a crazy three years and I never would have thought I'd have the chance to sign with brands such as TaylorMade, adidas Golf and ISPS HANDA, who are some of the biggest names in the game. I'm truly honoured to represent every one of these guys, but for career goals, I want to get to world number one in disability golf; that's a massive goal for me. I also want to get the Paralympics and also bring more people into the game from all walks of life, disabilities, kids, women, men. When I played the European Tour Event at The Belfry it brought all walks of life into my DM's on Instagram looking to get into the game, and that's what's great about golf; it's a game for everybody.

We also have ambitions for a World Tour quite soon to get more disability golfers earning money from the game, and this is a true ambition of mine. These guys are amazing athletes and players, and we're trying to create opportunities for everybody. Hopefully, by hosting this event and showcasing our talents on the world stage, this won't be too far away.