In his first round ever at U.S. Adaptive Open, Coloradan Justin Carlock shares men’s overall lead
By Gary Baines
This week marks the fifth time the U.S. Adaptive Open has been contested, but the first in which Justin Carlock of Eaton has competed.
Apparently, it didn’t take long for Carlock to adapt, so to speak.
The assistant PGA professional at Eaton Country Club shot a 4-under-par 68 on Monday and shares the men’s overall lead after day 1 of the 54-hole championship in Rockville, Md. Only Kipp Popert of England, the three-time defending champion, kept Carlock from holding sole possession of the top spot.
Carlock, the 2025 Colorado Assistant PGA Professional Champion, made six birdies but suffered a double bogey in the middle of his round en route to his 68.
According to the USGA, the 31-year-old has lived his entire life with a condition that caused his fingers and hands to fuse differently. He’s undergone more than 10 surgeries. Still, Carlock played college golf at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, and he’s enjoyed some success in Colorado PGA events. (Just last month, he won the RainDance National Pro-Am.)
“It’s absolutely so special for all of us to be here,” Carlock told the USGA, which runs the tournament. “My caddie and best friend, Brock, and I found out about this a few years ago when it was at Sand Creek Station in Kansas. I had played a big college tournament there and thought, ‘How cool is that?’
“I wondered if I could get (my disability) certified (a requirement to compete in the U.S. Adaptive) — and didn’t really do it. This last fall, Brock told me I needed to get in gear. I ended up getting certified and qualified, and here we are.
“Two more of those (rounds like Monday’s), I wouldn’t complain no matter how it ends up.”
Carlock wasn’t the only Coloradan on the men’s overall leaderboard as Mario Dino of Denver (71) shares fifth place.
Two-time defending champion Kim Moore of Fort Wayne, Ind., opened with a 76 to lead the women’s overall competition.
For all the scores from the U.S. Adaptive Open, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com