LIVE SCORING: The John T. Lupton Memorial tees off at The Honors Course

May 26, 2023 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

After a 1-year hiatus, one of golf's premier Mid and Senior tournaments returns to the mecca of amateur golf in Tennessee

Following a one-year hiatus for course repairs from tornado damage, the John T. Lupton Memorial returns this weekend to The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn.

The 54-hole event, which begins today and runs through Sunday, includes a 36-hole cut and features mid-amateur, senior and super-senior flights. The event, named for club founder John T. Lupton, is played on the Pete Dye-designed course that hosted the 1991 U.S. Amateur and 1996 NCAA Championship won by Tiger Woods.

The 84-man field is comprised of some of the top mid- and senior amateur players in the country, including Joe Deraney (Tupelo, Miss.) and Billy Mitchell (Atlanta), who return to defend their 2021 titles. Deraney also won the event in 2016.

An elite group players will be on hand in an attempt to wrestle the title away from Deraney, including last year's Crump Cup champion Stephen Behr, Jr. (Alpharetta, Ga.), Hayes Brown, who reached the semifinals of the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2022 Gasparilla Invitational champion Logan Blondell (Lakeland, Fla.) and two-time Lupton champion Kris Mikkelsen.

Rusty Strawn, last year's U.S. and Canadian Senior Amateur champion, is part of a strong senior field that also includes Georgians Bob Royak, the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur champion, Doug Hanzel, the third-ranked senior in the world who was runner-up to Strawn last year at The Kittansett Club, Jack Hall, currently ranked seventh by Golfweek/Sagarin and former Georgia State Representative Allen Peake, senior golf's ironman who is ranked eighth.

Denver resident Jon Lindstrom will look to continue his hot start to the year in Ooltewah following wins at the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association's Senior Championship two weeks ago and the Heron Creek Senior in January.

The Honors Course is a brute. Deraney was the last player to finish under par for the 54-hole event when he won he won the title in 2016 at 4-under 212. His winning score two years ago was at 3-over 219.

"The feeling among players after yesterday’s practice round was that the greens are as firm and fast as they have ever been," said Ryan Terry, who is paired with Michael Anderson and Mikey Feher in the first round. "Pars will be at a premium and patience will be key all weekend.”

The Lupton was first played in 2004 as a preview for golfers anticipating playing in the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship and has since evolved into an illustrious tournament featuring some of the finest mid-amateur, senior and super-senior golfers in the country.

The Lupton is synonymous with Memorial Day Weekend in Ooltewah and is one of the most coveted titles on the mid-amateur circuit, along with the Coleman Invitational at Seminole Golf Club, the Anderson Memorial at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York, and the Crump Cup at Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey.

AmateurGolf.com will have daily coverage of the John T. Lupton Memorial starting Friday and continuing through the weekend.

Results: Lupton Invitational

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Hayes Brown	Charlotte, NC	300	74-70-72=216
2	Joseph Deraney	Belden, MS	200	71-71-74=216
T3	Mikey Feher	Signal Mountain, TN	100	75-71-71=217
T3	Sam Jackson	W. Columbia, SC	100	70-69-78=217
T3	Christopher Wheeler	Addison, TX	100	66-72-79=217

View full results for Lupton Invitational

About the Lupton Invitational

LIVE SCORING: The John T. Lupton Memorial tees off at The Honors Course

NOTE: 2026 event has been postponed as The Honors Course prepares to host the U.S. Women's Amateur in August. It will again be played at a date to be determined in 2027 This event, named after club founder John T. Lupton, debuted in 2005 on a spectac...