Charles Waddell wins playoff at Lupton Invitational
5/24/2015 | by Conner Penfold of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for Lupton Invitational, The Honors Course
Charles Waddell of Chicago found himself in a playoff with Joseph Deraney at the Lupton, winning with a par on the first extra hole
OOLTEWAH, Tenn. — Charles Waddell of Chicago found himself in a playoff with Joseph Deraney at the John T. Lupton Invitational, winning with an eight-foot par putt on the first extra hole.
Waddell and Deraney both fired final-round 73s at the Honors Course to overtake first and second round leader Denver Haddix of Lexington, Ky., who finished in third place at eight-over par 224 after his second straight 77. Haddix opened with 70 to lead by two after the first round.
Deraney trailed Waddell by two entering the 16th hole, but cut the lead in half with a birdie on the par three. Then Waddell closed with a bogey at 18, setting up the sudden death playoff.
The win for Waddell was a special one, securing a victory at a place that brings back fond memories of family trips to The Honors Course, where his father is a member.
"I was very thrilled to win at a place that means so much to me and the family," Waddell said.
Waddell said his family has been taking trips to The Honors Course since his freshman year in high school, 2000, a year after his father joined the club.
"It's a place that I'm really comfortable at," he said.
Scoring was a challenge at the 2015 event, with newly implemented Champion Bermuda grass greens rolling upwards of 13 on the stimpmeter. The winning total was up four from Mike McCoy's total a year earlier, with second place up four strokes, as well.
Waddell won the 2014 Timuquana Cup, shooting a final round 67 to win by two over Nick Gilliam of Gainesville, Florida. Last year's win helped him fulfill his yearly goal of winning an invitational and qualifying for a USGA event, which he did in 2014 by reaching the stroke play portion of the U.S. Amateur at Atlanta Athletic Club.
Now in 2015, half of that same goal is complete. He'll attempt to make the U.S. Amateur again, qualifying at the Seth Raynor-designed Camargo Club in Cincinnati, and the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Glen View Club in Illinois — a course which he grew up playing. Though his current home club is Shoreacres in Lake Bluff, which was also designed by Seth Raynor.
"I'm going to try to harness some of that Seth Raynor magic," Waddell said.
SENIOR/SUPER SENIOR DIVISIONS
In the Senior division, Michael Mercier captured the win with a three-round Stableford total of 109, including a final-round 38. Richard Keene's 40 on Sunday was the best score of the tournament, and jumped him into second place. Mercier entered the final round tied at the top with Allen Barber, but Barber struggled with a 25-point total on Sunday.
Defending champion Paul Simson, who won his fifth title last year, finished in fifth place.
Senior rankings points and further results can be found here.
Bob Kain secured a four-point victory in the Super Senior division, beating out Don Kuehn, Larry Clark, and Steve Melnyk, who all tied for second-place at 93 points.
Results: Lupton Invitational
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago, IL | 300 | 74-75-73=222 | |
| 2 | Belden, MS | 200 | 76-73-73=222 | |
| 3 | Lexington, KY | 100 | 70-77-77=224 | |
| T4 | Dallas, TX | 100 | 75-77-76=228 | |
| T4 | Nashville, TN | 100 | 72-78-78=228 |
About the Lupton Invitational
This event, named after club founder John T. Lupton, debuted in 2005 on a spectacular Pete Dye golf course near Chatanooga. Mitch Voges won the 1991 U.S. Amateur here, and Tiger Woods won the 1996 NCAA Championship here despite a final round 80.
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