Dennis Walters wins Seated Players division at first US Adaptive Open Golf Championship

Dennis Walters is in the World Golf Hall of Fame and received the Bob Jones Award — the USGA’s highest honor — but he has a new accomplishment that rivals those amazing achievements.

The Jupiter resident made a clutch par on his final hole Wednesday to win the Seated Players division of the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 6 (North Carolina).

Walters chipped from off the ninth green to 4 feet, twisted his seat and body sideways and made the par to win when Mariano Tubio of Argentina bogeyed the hole 15 minutes later. It was Walters’ first tournament since he was paralyzed in a golf cart accident in 1974 — Thursday marked the 48th anniversary of his accident — and became one of the world’s top trick-shot artists

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“This one has real special meaning,” Walters said Thursday as he drove to Virginia to continue his trick-shot shows. “The one thing I always wanted to do in life was play successfully on the PGA Tour, and that was taken away from me.

“I have been deprived all these years from not only playing golf but playing tournament golf. And as Bob Jones said, playing golf and tournament golf are two different things. (Winning) this tournament had a big impact on me. I don’t think I have ever worked harder than I did the last three weeks to prepare for this. Nobody asked me what I shot; they just congratulated me for winning.”

Walters’ scores — not that they matter — were 86, 84 and 92, finishing the newest USGA championship at 46-over 262. He started the final round with a 10-shot lead over Tubio, but his advantage quickly melted when Walters had seven putts on his first two holes.

But he made the putt that mattered, the 4-footer at the final hole. Walters’ omnipresent dog, Gussie, jumped out of the cart to retrieve the ball out of the hole. It was an incredible moment during an inspiring week.

“I stopped counting the putts I missed inside 3 feet in the final round after I reached eight,” Walters said. “When I picked up the putter before the round, it felt like an ax handle. I had no feel and I was nervous — that’s a bad combination. I didn’t want to be the guy who lost a 10-shot lead. I feel a lot better now than if I had missed that last putt.”

When he put the Adaptive Open on his calendar, Walters realized it ended the day before the worst moment of his life. But as he has done since then, he tried to make the best of a bad situation.

“When I first saw the dates, it made me a little melancholy,” Walters said. “But I also saw it as a new opportunity. It was so refreshing to be a part of this tournament. You’re watching guys strap on artificial legs and playing 6½-hour rounds in the heat, and I never heard one person complain about anything.

“For all of these years, I’ve heard people tell me I have given them hope and inspired them (with his shows). These guys inspired me this week.”

West Palm Beach resident Ken Green finished sixth overall (11-over 227) behind winner Simon Lee. In the women's division, Elaine Greyserman (neurological Impairment) of Boca Raton finished 11th overall.

Green left Pinehurst feeling as content as when he won his five PGA Tour events in the late 1980s and played on a Ryder Cup team.

“I had an absolute blast,” said Green, who lost part of his right leg during an RV accident in 2009. “The only U.S. Open I remember was the first one, because I got to play a practice round with Jack Nicklaus. I will remember this week until I die.

“Big picture, this Adaptive Open is far better than regular golf. If you played in a U.S. Open, you’re obviously a golf stud. But this tournament allows everyone to pull themselves out of a hole that life has dealt them and turn golf into a competitive aspiration.”

Walters urged everyone, especially the golf industry, to play special attention when the second Adaptive Open returns to Pinehurst next summer. It’s obviously not just about the golf.

“Anyone with a heart should be there to see what these people overcome every day,” Walters said. “PGA Tour players should be here. LPGA Tour players should be here. The golf manufacturers should certainly be here. If this is promoted properly, they could have thousands of new customers.”

Walters and Green know where they will be the third week in July next year. In Pinehurst.

“It’s very likely on my calendar,” Walters joked. “As a defending champion, I think it’s my responsibility.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter golfer wins Seated Players division at first US Adaptive Open