OOLTEWAH, TENNESSEE | Entering the final round of the John T. Lupton Memorial six shots off the lead, Ben Reeves’ thoughts flashed back to a similar situation years earlier as a junior golfer.
Reeves eventually won that tournament in a playoff, and the memory of that win served as a constant reminder on Sunday at The Honors Course. But he knew he would need some help from the leaders.
Reeves closed with a 3-under 69 to tie second-round leader Brett Patterson, who drained a clutch 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to force a playoff as the pair finished at even-par 216. Reeves won the Lupton’s mid-amateur title on the first hole of the sudden-death playoff with a two-putt par on No. 18.
“I had a win when I was junior player when I was six back and had to shoot a 67 to get me into a playoff, which was very reminiscent of today,” Reeves said. “I knew this was attainable, but I was going to need to play good golf and get some help from the leaders.”
With Patterson struggling to a 39 on the front nine that included a double bogey on No. 9, Reeves was able to make up five shots quickly. The Birmingham, Alabama, medical resident then grabbed the lead at No. 14 with the second of two straight birdies before finishing with four pars.
Playing two groups behind Reeves, Patterson and Ty Capps remained one shot back over the final few holes but were unable to produce an equalizer. Capps’ birdie attempt on the last hole lipped out, with Patterson converting to force the playoff.
“This is huge,” said Reeves, who played collegiately at Tennessee-Martin. “I’m finishing residency in a month (at the University of Alabama Birmingham) and so I feel like I’m springboarding in my career and now my golf. It’s incredible timing. I couldn’t ask for more.”
“I didn’t know I had won because I never check the scores,. It wasn’t until Bob [Royak] and John [Kemp] said congratulations that I realized I had won.”
Jack Larkin
Reeves won the Alabama Mid-Amateur championship last year, and adding the mid-amateur title at the Lupton Memorial serves as further validation that his best golf is still ahead of him.
“I’m a late bloomer in golf,” Reeves said. “That was me in junior golf before I started in college, but it was perfect timing for me. I’m 31 now and playing the best golf in my life, and I’ve signed a contract with a group in Birmingham and will be finally finished with school in one more month.”
Reeves’ success was made even more special with one of his closest friends from Birmingham, Brooks Sandlin, serving as his caddie this weekend.
“To do this with one of my best buddies is amazing,” Reeves said. “Brooks and his wife became our fastest friends in Birmingham when we moved to town, and sharing this moment him is emotional.”
Capps finished third at 1-over 217, while first-round leader Nick Maccario posted a 2-over 218, good for fourth.
Atlanta’s Jack Larkin walked away with the senior division title with a three-day total of 2-over 218, winning by one shot over Bob Royak. But Larkin had no idea he had won until his par putt dropped on his final hole, No. 9 at The Honors Course.
“I didn’t know I had won because I never check the scores,” Larkin said. “It wasn’t until Bob [Royak] and John [Kemp] said congratulations that I realized I had won.”
After entering Sunday’s play tied with England’s Kemp, Larkin parlayed birdies on his final nine at 2, 3 and 5 to take a lead he would never relinquish. His final-round 74 was good enough to survive as Royak also posted a 74 to finish at 3-over 219.
Kemp entered the day with a share of the lead but closed with a 79 to finish fourth at 7-over 223, two shots behind Doug Hanzel, who placed third at 5-over 221.
“It’s huge because this is a grand field and it’s an incredibly difficult golf course,” Larkin said. “It’s really a test of perseverance.”
RESULTS
Paul Payne
Three new champions emerged in the 2025 Trans-Mississippi Senior Championship at Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, last Thursday. Bryan Hoops won the senior division (ages 55-64), Mark Morgan won the super senior division (65-69) and Dave Runberg captured the legends division (70+).
After shooting 1-under 70 with two birdies and a bogey in the first round, Hoops turned it on for the final two rounds to shoot 10-under for the tournament. In the second round, a 5-under 66 with eight birdies placed the Tempe, Arizona, resident in the final group and tied for the lead.
Mike McCoy, the 2023 U.S Walker Cup captain and 2017 Trans-Miss Senior Championship winner, made another run at the title, ultimately finishing second.
Starting the final round two strokes behind Hoops, McCoy shot 4-under 67, but Hoops matched that score by playing the final 14 holes in 5-under par.
“Every time I looked at the scoreboard, players were making birdies, so I had to stay aggressive,” Hoops said.
Morgan, the 2017 senior division runner-up from Shingle Springs, California, dominated the super senior division, shooting 68-69-69 to finish 7-under and win by four strokes. In the legends division, Runberg, of Centennial, Colorado, birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Jody Vasquez.
Everett Munez