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NATCHEZ — Amateur and touring professional golfers from throughout the South will descend on Natchez this weekend for The 2020 Natchez Open Golf Championship that will take place at the Duncan Park Golf Course.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Duncan Park golf course superintendent Greg Brooking said. “It’s a three-day, 54-hole event. We’ve got seven states being represented in this tournament. We’ve got 54 amateurs and 16 touring pros.”

Golfers from Natchez as well as Atlanta, Georgia, Little Rock, Arkansas, Memphis, Tennessee, Houston, Texas, Lake Charles, Louisiana, New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, will participate in the tournament that starts Friday morning.

Tee times for Friday, Saturday and Sunday will start at 8 a.m. and run to 11:30 a.m. Brooking said that everybody should be through playing at 4 p.m. each day.

“We’ve got nine players from Natchez in the tournament and 61 from out of town,” Brooking said. “There are three players in the senior division, including myself. Favorites in the senior division are Pete Powell and Bill Byrne.”

Brooking noted that the super-senior division was changed to the senior division because there will be more seniors than super seniors. He said those playing in the senior division will be playing for their own trophy as well as gift certificates, but will not be eligible for the overall championship.

Only those in the amateur and men’s professional divisions will be eligible for the overall championship and the title of Natchez Open champion, Brooking said.

“In the regular division, there will be five amateurs and one pro. David Meyer, the local pro (at Beau Pré Country Club, will be in the professional division. The favorite in the amateur division is Jordan Farmer, who is a six-time city champion. The other local amateurs are Jeff Anderson, Trevor Farmer, Jay Sims and Adolph Hayes.

“The professionals are playing for a $13,000 purse, with first place getting $3,600. The amateur division is a flighted division. They have a shot of overall. They’re going for the Open championship,” Brooking said. “Natchez mayor Dan Gibson will be here to give the first-place check and the trophy to the winner. We’re excited to have him out here for the trophy presentation.”