Togisala, Howard Crowned 2nd Arizona Adaptive Open Champions

PHOENIX, ARIZ. — Max Togisala approached the 18th tee at Papago Golf Club with one concern. Was the green clear? 

Moments later, the Utah-native launched a drive he knew he could reach,  rolling out to roughly 265 yards on the collar of the green. 

“I wasn’t trying to hit anyone… I knew I could reach (the green) from the practice round,” Togisala said.

With a quick two-putt for birdie, he officially clinched the men’s overall title at the 2nd Arizona Adaptive Open on Wednesday. 

RESULTS | PHOTOS

Togisala (Men's Seated, G10) was the only competitor to finish the tournament under par, carding a 2-under final round following an even-par performance on Tuesday. 

His early stretch in round two set the tone with back-to-back-to-back birdies on holes 3, 4 and 5.

“It felt like a blur,” Togisala said of his bridie streak. “I was just hitting the ball and it was going toward the cup every time. I drained a 10-footer for the first birdie and then I drained a 40-footer. I was like, ‘Well, I’m just lucky right now.’”

Luck had little to do with it. Togisala studied Papago closely during the practice round, realizing just how tight the course becomes from the forward tees. To keep the ball out of the desert, he often held off on the driver in favor of low-irons and woods.

He said what made the win even more meaningful was finishing the round alongside his wife, Grace, and a community of adaptive golfers he has spent so much time with over the years.

“It’s good to see all the other players,” he said. “They are all freaking amazing and the stories they have… It’s such a fun event that we’re all able to do this. I’m grateful for that.”

Max Togisala lifts the flag stick out of the hole during the second round of the 2025 Arizona Adaptive Open on Wednesday, December 10, at Papago Golf Club. (Photo By: Tom Skulski)

On the women’s side, University of Arizona freshman Sophia Howard captured the overall championship, finishing the 36-hole tournament at +27 and edging runner-up Ryanne Jackson by a single stroke. 

Howard (Women's Arm-Assisted, G5) admitted she walked up the 18th fairway unsure of where she stood on the leaderboard. But being in the dark was by design.

“I believe that knowing little helps me out,” she said. “I don’t like to know my score at any point of the round.”

Howard’s par putt on the 18th green secured victory. The freshman on the University of Arizona Adaptive Golf Team, said the school's home course in Tucson reminds her more of courses from her home state of Michigan than true desert courses like Papago. 

“The golf ball goes further off of (the desert) because it is so hard and compact, you can compress the ball,” Howard explained. “Not swinging as much and knowing that the ball was going to go further is what I kept in mind when I was on that.”

With dramatic finishes on both leaderboards, the 2nd Arizona Adaptive Open concluded with laughter, celebration and plenty of memories.

Sophia Howard rips a shot from the fairway during the second round of the 2025 Arizona Adaptive Open on Wednesday, December 10, at Papago Golf Club. (Photo By: Tom Skulski)

WINNERS

Men’s Overall — Max Togisala (Seated - G9 & G10) (-2)

Men’s Divisional:

Above Knee (G1): Victor Postillionn (+5)

Below Knee (G2): Parker VanCampen (+10)

Multiple Leg (G3): Iohn Rosanova (+40)

Arm-Unassisted (G4): Vincent Biser (+10)

Arm-Assisted (G5): Russell Aide (+6)

Multiple Arm (G6): Matt Parker (+21)

Arm & Leg Imp. (G7): Pat Crowley (+43)

CP/MD (G8): Jarrett Fultz (+3)

Seated (G9 &G10): Max Togisala (-2)

Visual (G11-G13): Tyler Cashman (+14)

Short Stature (G14): Ricky Reilly (+12)

ID (G15): Kody Conover (+6)

Women’s Overall — Sophia Howard (Arm-Assisted - G5) (+27)

Women’s Divisional:

Arm-Assisted (G5): Sophia Howard (+27)

CP/MD (G8): Ryanne Jackson (+28)

ID (G15): Amy Bockerstette (+43)

Click Pearl Cup: University of Arizona (+36)

NOTABLE

• Hole 17, a long par 3, took the prize for the easiest hole on the course, collecting 7 birdies, and an average score of 3.32 in round two. 
• With an average of 5.31, the tricky uphill par-4 14th grabbed the title as the hardest hole on the course in the second round.
• Over 70 volunteers provided their time this week.
• One eagle was carded in round 2, by Ricky Reilly (Short Stature (G14) on the first hole with a successful 7-foot-putt.
• The Click Pearl Cup trophy was taken home by the University of Arizona, in its inaugural year. The cup was organized by the Chicago District Golf Association and the University of Arizona, to highlight the expansion of adaptive golf across the country, at the collegiate level.
• Round 2 earned 52 of the 89 field-wide birdies, grabbing 45 on the front nine and 44 on the back.
  
• Sophia Howard's (Women’s Arm-Assisted (G5) mother flew in late last night from Hudsonville, Michigan, to caddy for her daughter in the final round, and help her earn the Kachina Trophy.

QUOTABLE

• Max doesn’t eat breakfast, he swears by that. — Max Togisala’s wife
• I feel a good sense of accomplishment — Sophia Howard (Women’s Arm-Assisted (G5), after winning the Women’s Overall Title in the 2nd Arizona Adaptive Open.
• That guy’s an animal — overheard off the 18th green after Max Togisala (Men’s Seated (G9 & G10) drove the green.
• It all felt like a blur that I was hitting the ball and it kept going towards the cup every time — Max Togisala (Men’s Seated (G9 & G10), about his three consecutive birdies on the front nine.
• I didn’t know where I stood on that 18th hole, but I knew I wanted to make par at least — Sophia Howard (Women’s Arm-Assisted (G5), on her position in the 18th fairway.
  

AZ ADAPTIVE OPEN ROUND 1 RECAP

PHOENIX, ARIZ. — Papago Golf Club flooded with 60 of the world’s top adaptive golfers, opening play for the second annual Arizona Adaptive Open Championship on Tuesday. 

And though traveling from 23 states and three countries, the atmosphere remains rooted in camaraderie. 

“We’re all a super-family,” said Max Togisala, the world’s No. 1 ranked seated golfer (Sport Class G10). “We all relate to each other, I think that’s why we all fit together. It’s still competitive though… It’s a lot of fun and all friendly.”

RESULTS

That friendly rivalry didn’t stop Togisala from setting the early pace. The Utah native, competing in his first Arizona Adaptive Open, posted the only even-par round on a Papago layout which yielded 676 bogeys-or-worse and just 37 birdies in the opening round. 

Togisala remained consistent through 18 with two birdies, two bogeys and 14 pars on the day, giving him a two-stroke lead in the clubhouse at the halfway point of the 36-hole stroke-play event. 

“I was playing my game and hitting greens,” Togisala said. “I was a little sketchy off the tee, but I was just in the rough, I wasn’t in the desert too much today. Pretty good all around.”

Having learned the quirks of Arizona’s desert terrain on previous visits, he kept the driver holstered when needed. Heading into the final round, his mindset remains simple, “I’m just going to play my game tomorrow and do what I did today. Hopefully the putts start to drop a little more.”

Max Togisala tees off during the first round of the 2nd Annual Arizona Adaptive Open on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Photo by: Corey Cavanaugh)

On the women’s side, University of Arizona Adaptive Golf Team member Sophia Howard leads at 14-over-par, which includes a birdie on the par-4 13th hole. 

“I had a couple shots today where I was truly hitting out of the desert,” Howard said. “It’s a little hard to judge but we worked with it. The greens are a lot nicer, they roll out more pure and smooth.”

Despite battling a few three-putts, Howard said her confidence on the greens grew as the round progressed. 

“My putting was off the roof today… but overall I’m pretty happy with how I putted and adjusted to that speed.”

Sophia Howard take a shot from the bunker at Papago Golf Club during the 2nd Annual Arizona Adaptive Open on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Photo by: Corey Cavanaugh)

For many competitors, Papago’s desert layout offers a steep learning curve. Andrew Austen, with limited desert-golf experience, relied heavily on Monday’s practice round to prepare for the challenge.

“Just being out here yesterday, allowing us to play a practice round, we got to understand the course, the greens,” Austen said. “If you want to score, you gotta putt well. So I got a greens book, which was clutch, and then just gotta make sure you’re doing your homework.”

Austen (Men's Arm-Assisted, G5) carded a three-over-round to sit in a tie for third at the halfway mark of the tournament. 

The same faces return to Papago on Wednesday, December 10, for the final round of play. A men’s and women’s overall champion will be crowned as well as winners for each impairment category.

NOTABLE

• Monday’s practice round brought a hole-in-one from Vincent Biser (Men’s Arm-Unassisted (G4) on hole 8 from 154 yards out, with a 6-iron.
• Hole 3 proved itself the hardest hole on the course, with a 6.0 stroke average throughout the field.
• The front nine served the field with the easiest hole on the course as well, with a smooth 3.0 average on the par-3 8th hole.
• The front nine of the course took the prize for most birdies, grabbing 20 of the 37 total. 
• Hole 15, ranked the second-easiest hole on the course, offered up 5 birdies across the field today.
• 60 adaptive golfers are competing this week here at Papago Golf Club. 
• The golfers hail from 23 different states and three different countries, including three from Italy and one from British Columbia, Canada.
  

• The weather was amazing so I can’t complain. I think we’re all happy to be out and not have to wear a ton of clothing. — Max Togisala (Men’s Seated, G10)

• There are a lot of people here, me and my buddies were saying that this is a really good field. I think some of the state events, as good as they are, don’t necessarily get all the best players. And Arizona is such a fun place to come. So the field here is amazing. — Andrew Austen (Men’s Arm-Assisted, G5)
• Who invented water? — Sophia Howard (Women’s Arm-Assisted, G5) said, following a 9 on the first hole.
• I was in the desert quite a bit yesterday during the practice round, and I do not have a desert club, which everyone’s been telling me about. — Andrew Austen (Men’s Arm-Assisted, G5)
• “Feliz Navidad, feliz navidad, feliz navidad, próspero año y felicidad — Larry Celano (Men's Seated, G10), waiting to tee off on hole 12.
• That just shows, you know, that people want to come to your event. The way you guys do it, it makes us feel special and feel like less of amateurs and more of pros, which is what we all want. — Andrew Austen (Men’s Arm-Assisted, G5)