Chad Pfeifer wins his third USDGA Championship

It came down to the wire in the 6th USDGA Championship, with Chad Pfeifer of Nampa, Idaho, making a short putt on the 18th hole to win the men’s title. The 2024 USDGA Championship was held at PGA Golf Club’s Ryder Course in Port St. Lucie, Florida, April 22-24 for the second consecutive year.

Pfeifer defended his title and won for the third time in the last four years. The 45-year-old led the 54-hole tournament for only two holes – but they were the last two holes.

He birdied the par-5 17th to grab the lead and then parred the 18th for a 1-under 70 to win by a shot over Albert Bowker at 4-over 217.

“I knew the birdie at 17 was huge, but I didn’t know how important it was until I looked at the leaderboard on the 18th tee,” said Pfeifer, who lost part of his left leg while serving in the Army in Iraq in 2007. “I hit a good drive at 17, and that allowed me to play aggressively.”

Pfeifer reached the par-5 in two shots and two-putted from 40 feet for the birdie. He hit an errant drive at the 18th, but made a nice recovery from the trees with a 7-iron from 167 yards to the edge of the green. He lagged to 4 feet and made the winning putt.

“That last putt was a little longer than I wanted, and it broke left-to-right, so it wasn’t an easy one,” Pfeifer said. “But I was able to make it.

“It always feels great to win any tournament, and this is a major in adaptive golf. Jason Faircloth and John Bell and the USDGA do a great job of running this championship.”

Competition is nothing new for Pfeifer. After losing his left leg above the knee to a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq, Pfeifer turned to golf as part of his therapy, and the retired Army corporal and Purple Heart recipient has devoted much of his life to helping others through the game of golf. He has competed on Golf Channel’s “Big Break” series, and was given a sponsor’s exemption to play in the 2015 Albertsons Boise Open, later trying to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour. He is a three-time National Amputee Champion, and competed in an exhibition at the PGA TOUR’s Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in January 2022. Pfeifer founded Moving Foreward, which uses the game of golf to provide education, assistance and motivation to people with disabilities.

The PGA of America was once again the presenting partner of the Championship, as the former U.S. Disabled Golf Open Championship officially launched its new name, the USDGA Championship.

The USDGA Championship featured 90 players competing in the 54-hole, three-round stroke-play event.

The USDGA’s mission is to provide people with physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities an opportunity to showcase their ability in a golf championship at a high level. Golfers must have a handicap index of 36.4 or lower and a WR4GD pass in order to register.

The USDGA Championship is conducted by the U.S. Disabled Golf Association.

Click here for information about the USDGA and final championship results.