BRENDAN LAWLOR, THE No 2 disability golfer in the world, has spoken out against the “real negative” social media comments he got after playing in a DP World Tour event in Japan.
The 26-year-old received abusive comments after he shared a video of himself playing at the ISPC Handa Championship last month.
The Dundalk man has Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome, a bone growth disorder that leads to shorter limbs. He has been the first disability golfer to compete in DP World Tour and Challenge Tour events.
Disability golfer @BrendanLawlor97 has addressed online abuse he’s received after his participation at the ISPS Handa Championship last month.
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 4, 2023
Keep breaking down barriers, Brendan 👏pic.twitter.com/69jxZD4tkH
“I got a beautiful start in Japan, had a fabulous week, and the DP World Tour shared a video which went viral,” said Lawlor, who became the first golfer with a disability to play on the DP World Tour.
“It got some amazing feedback, real positive, but unfortunately it got some real negative.
“I just wanted to get on and highlight how bad the negative was and, if you weren’t in the frame of mind to take this negativity, of what it could do to people.
“I’m lucky enough where my condition has never affected me. I’ve grown up all my life with negative comments and I blew them off with the breeze, but I wanted to hop on and highlight these comments for other people.
“Disability people are putting themselves out there now on a platform, DP World Tour are sharing videos, and I don’t want these guys to get slandered online with nasty comments.
“It’s going to happen anyway, but we’ve broken down so many barriers in the world of golf and I feel this was the opportunity for me to highlight this barrier and maybe overcome this one as well.
“These guys are putting themselves out there for other people to put themselves out there and it’s a roll-on effect. We’re trying to get more disability people into sport in general and I just think the comments are damaging.
“I’m all for equality of opportunity and that’s what we’re showcasing on the DP World Tour. I hope we can go further and comments like this don’t affect our players and people in general.”
Lawlor plays the inaugural G4D Open from 10-12 May, a three-day event at Woburn featuring 80 of the world’s most talented golfers with disabilities.
