For Fernando Vega de Seoane, this week’s G4D Open represents a somewhat full circle moment.
Born into a golf-loving family, the sport has held a special place in his life, as has the host venue of the third edition of the championship for the leading golfers with disabilities.
More than three decades ago, the Spaniard was playing at Woburn as a student at the nearby prestigious Bedford School.
While a talented golfer who became a three-time champion of Spain, he never aspired to be the best in the world – but that is no longer the case.
Since suffering a spinal cord injury while skiing in the north Pyrenees in 2022, his passion for the game has returned, leading to this debut appearance in the inclusive 54-hole championship.
“It’s been very special,” Vega said of how it feels to be competing at a venue which has such personal significance for him.
“It is a hometown. It is down in my soul, hard to describe.”
Even from spending just a few minutes in his company, his positivity is undoubted.
He is an example, like so many in the G4D community, of resilience and how far an upbeat attitude in the face of adversity can take you.
After the initial trauma and realisation that he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, he continued with a get-go approach.
“Ever since I assumed this was going to be forever, I just got on with it, put on a smile and told myself to be the best version of yourself in your chair,” he explained, speaking in front of a small but captive group of DP World Tour staff and EDGA volunteers at Woburn.
It was through his cousin, Alvaro, a physiotherapist for the DP World Tour that he was introduced to Tony Bennett, President of EDGA, and Mark Taylor, EDGA Head of Instruction and Development, as he sought a route to again pick up a club.
And in just a 30-minute lesson with Tony and Mark at the national golf centre of the Spanish Federation on a cold and wet day in Madrid, just three weeks after his skiing accident, Fernando reinvented himself and a passion to become the best wheelchair golfer in the world was born.
Within ten minutes, he’d worked out he needed to swing one-handed. The biomechanics of his body, being paralysed from the chest region downwards, wouldn’t enable him to do it freely with both his hands.
“The hardest part was to accept I am a one-handed golfer,” reflected Vega, who now plays off a handicap of around 17.
“That was the weirdest thing. That felt like you were very handicapped. I just thought: ‘Fernando, biomechanics. Readapt your biomechanics. Once you hit it once in the sweet spot and the ball flies, you’re all right’.”
As a sport, golf is the perfect balance of fulfilling his competitive desire while also being within his capacities physically.
“It has been the engine that keeps a smile on my face," he said.
“While I’m sure I’d have found a Plan B, things happen for a reason.
“This meeting with Tony and Mark was part of my journey.
“Golf is very compatible with a healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically. It is not aggressive; it is a bit tiring for my back but it’s a perfect environment for me.
“I am not opening the gate to any other sports. I have a long way to go with my golf.”
While his opening round may have left him wishing he’d performed better, his happiness at being a part of an international competition is clear to see.
“From the moment you drive in at Woburn, you see something special,” he said.
“You see the efforts by EDGA, the DP World Tour and The R&A to make us feel what we are – competitors at the highest possible level.
“I just hope I can take part in this event more times in the future and eventually win this tournament.”
