Melnyk leads Lupton Invitational

OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (May 24, 2013) -- Dalton Melnyk fired an opening-round 70 and leads all players at the 2013 Lupton Memorial at The Honors Course. Melnyk's first-round total is one shot better than Kris Mikkelsen, the defending champion. Charles Waddell carded a 72 and sits in third place while Thad Hudgens (73) and Brendon Wilson (74) round out the Top 5. The event, named after club founder John T. Lupton, debuted in 2005 on the spectacular Pete Dye course outside Chattanooga. The U.S. Amateur and NCAA Championship have both been contested at the course. The Lupton annually draws one of the top mid-amateur fields of the season. Among the contenders are: Massachusetts and Florida-based mid-am Matt Bianchini (75, T-6), five-time Iowa Mid-Am champion and veteran on national scene Mike McCoy (75, T-6), and recent Carlton Woods Invitational winner Colby Harwell (76, T-9). Second-round play begins Saturday morning with golfers trying to squeeze into the 36-hole cut ahead of Sunday's final round.