Dalton Melnyk breaks through at Timuquana Cup

May 2, 2021 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Tournament Director Steve Melnyk and his champion son Dalton

The former Florida Gator (and son of the tournament committee chairman) goes wire to wire at Timuquana CC

In a normal year, the Timuquana Cup is a special week for Dalton Melnyk. His father Steve Melnyk, a longtime Timuquana member and past U.S. and British Amateur champion, chairs the tournament committee, and both father and son compete in their respective divisions.

Dalton, like his father a former player for the Florida Gators men's golf team, doesn't play in many national mid-amateur events but he does make sure to circle Timuquana Cup week on his calendar every year.

Finally!!! https://t.co/Ng1r4Sm33j pic.twitter.com/406vJI1Q3V
— Dalton Melnyk (@daltonmelnyk) April 27, 2021

The Atlanta, Ga., resident has played in the Timuquana Cup nearly every year since its founding in 2012, with several top-10 finishes, but until this year he hasn't contended down the stretch. In 2019, the last time the tournament was played, he entered the final round in third, three shots behind the lead, but faded to a tie for seventh.

But this week he broke through, taking control of the tournament with an opening-round 5-under 67 and never looking back on the way to a four-shot victory. In so doing he joins his father as Timuquana champions; Steve has won three super senior titles.

"It feels very satisfying," the new champion said to Sean Fairholm of Global Golf Post. "It's a crescendo to my experience at this event. It's the event my dad runs, it's where I grew up ... it has a lot of sentimentality. I've always wanted to win it."

Dalton rode six birdies and an eagle to his 67, and added four more birdies and another eagle on the way to a 70 in round two. His lead went from three to six heading into the final round, and a solid 74 was all he needed to coast to the win.

Tyler McKeever, also of Atlanta, finished second with a 1 under total, while Brian Blanchard (Tempe, Ariz.) was third at even par. Keith Guest (Athens, Ga.) and Tony Grillo (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) tied for fourth at 1 over par.

The defending champion, David Denham of Athens, Ga., finished in a three-way tie for sixth at 2 over.

SENIOR DIVISION

In the Senior Division, it was a three-way battle between two U.S. Senior Amateur champions and the No. 1 player in the AmateurGolf.com Senior Ranking.

Doug Hanzel (Savannah, Ga.), the defending champion and 2013 U.S. Senior Amateur champion, shot a pair of 67s to lead reigning U.S. Senior champion Bob Royak (Alpharetta, Ga.) and No. 1 Gene Elliott (W. Des Moines, Iowa) by three shots heading into the final round.

Playing together in the final round, the heavyweight threesome found themselves tied at the turn after an uncharacteristically slow start by Hanzel. Royak would fall back with back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13, and when Hanzel birdied the par-4 12th he had regained the lead.

Hanzel followed with a birdie on the par-5 15th, which Elliott matched, but a bogey on the par-3 16th put Elliott two back with two to play, and despite a bogey on the 17th, Hanzel was able to see out the win by one stroke. It was Hanzel's fourth Timuquana Cup senior title, having first won in 2015 and 2016.

Hanzel finished with a 74 and an 8-under 208 total, one ahead of Elliott (72) and two ahead of Royak (73).

Billy Mitchell (Atlanta, Ga.) and John Wright (Fairhope, Ala.) tied for fourth at 4 under, four shots back.

SUPER SENIOR DIVISION

Jim Pearson, who won the Senior title the last time the tournament was played in 2019, edged Scott Sheftall in a playoff for the Super Senior division title after both players had 5-over 221 totals. Phil Pavoni was third at 9 over.

The tournament committee chairman Steve Melnyk was denied another Super Senior title, settling instead for a tied-sixth finish. Still, he was the most delighted player in the field not to win on Sunday, as he got to witness his son lift the overall Timuquana Cup trophy for the first time.

Results: Timuquana Cup

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Dalton Melnyk	Atlanta, GA	300	67-70-74=211
2	Tyler McKeever	Atlanta, GA	200	73-72-70=215
3	Brian Blanchard	Tempe, AZ	100	72-71-73=216
T4	Keith Guest	Athens, GA	100	74-69-74=217
T4	Antonio Grillo	Martha's Vineyard, MA	100	70-75-72=217

View full results for Timuquana Cup

About the Timuquana Cup

Dalton Melnyk breaks through at Timuquana Cup

Invitational tournament with a field consisting of 40 of the top Mid Amateur players in the country, together with 20 of the top Senior Amateurs and 18 more Super Senior amateurs . The theme of the event will be a "Gathering of Friends" with a small,...