Hayes Brown, of Charlotte, North Carolina, defeated Joe Deraney, of Belden, Mississippi, in a sudden death playoff to win the John T. Lupton Memorial on Sunday at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee.
Deraney appeared to have firm control of the tournament until a disastrous bogey-double bogey-bogey-par-bogey finish to his round. Meanwhile, Brown shook off a double bogey on No. 14 and made birdie on his final two holes to get into a playoff with Deraney at even-par 216.
That mark ended up being just one stroke ahead of Mikey Feher, Chris Wheeler and Sam Jackson. Jackson came to the last hole at 2-under for the tournament but made a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 18th to miss the playoff. And Wheeler, who started the round at 6-under with solo possession of the lead, went bogey-double bogey on Nos. 14 and 15 on his way to missing the playoff.
But this is undoubtedly among Brown’s biggest mid-am wins, given the John T. Lupton’s strong field.
Brown, who played college golf at Wofford, is best known in mid-am circles for his dramatic run to the semifinals in the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sankaty Head. The then-32-year-old holed a wedge from 95 yards to advance through a playoff and earn the No. 64 seed, then won four consecutive matches before losing to eventual champion Stewart Hagestad.
But this is undoubtedly among Brown’s biggest mid-am wins, given the John T. Lupton’s strong field. He had opened the 54-hole event with a 2-over 74 to settle eight strokes behind Wheeler. By the time Sunday morning came around, Brown was still six shots out of the lead.
In the senior division, Bob Royak of Alpharetta, Georgia, shot even-par 216 to win by three strokes over Jack Larkin.
Royak opened with a 4-under 68 and added a 72 to take a two-stroke advantage into the final round. He struggled to a 5-over 41 on the opening nine, allowing Larkin and others to have a chance at victory. However, Royak shot a 1-under 35 coming in – making one birdie and eight pars – to re-establish himself. Larkin made double bogeys at Nos. 12 and 16 to kick away his opportunity.
This is the second big win for Royak this year. He captured the Jones Cup Senior Invitational in March, edging Jeff Knox in a playoff.
Mike Combs and Dennis Martin tied for third in the senior division. Doug Hanzel shot a 7-over 79 to settle for solo fifth.
RESULTS
The Amateur Golf Alliance might have to consider naming the trophy for its Women’s Amateur Championship after Lauren Greenlief.
Greenlief, of Ashburn, Virginia, came from behind to capture the championship division title for the third time in four years, winning by three shots over first-round leader Kelli Pry of Tampa, Florida. Greenlief signed for a 2-under-par 69 in the final round Wednesday for a 2-over 144 total in the rain-shortened 36-hole event at Northriver Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Meghan Stasi, Krissy Carman and Megan Buck tied for third, three shots behind Pry. Stasi, the 2021 AGA Women’s champion, shot 69 to tie Greenlief with the low round of the final day.
Greenlief, the 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion who was profiled earlier this month in GGPWomen, won the inaugural AGA Women’s title in 2020 and won again in 2022.
In the senior division, Patty Ehrhart of Birmingham, Alabama, followed her opening-round 1-under 70 with a 73 to secure the victory. Susan West, a Northriver member who serves on the AGA’s board, tied with Tara Joy-Connelly and Sarah Ingram for runner-up at 3-over. Ellen Port, Martha Leach and first-round leader Kathy Glennon were another shot back, tied for fifth.
Staff Reports