NATCHEZ — Dedrick Harris senior didn’t pick up golf until he was an adult, but his son Dedrick “Deuce” Harris was not far behind.

Eight years later, Deuce, 10, is an exciting young golf prospect who has competed all over the country in golf tournaments, including the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, N.C., two years in a row.

This past Monday, Deuce won the boys’ division of the Natchez Junior Golf Championship at Duncan Park, shooting a three-hole score of 11. The elder Harris, who is currently relocating from Houston to Cincinnati, came back to his hometown of Natchez and learned about the tournament.

“His mom (Wenona) read about it in the newspaper, and when he was practicing (at Duncan Park), a lady came up and told us that he should play in the tournament,” Harris said.

With the family visiting for the Fourth of July, Harris said he thought it would be good for his son to get another round of golf in while on vacation. And Deuce didn’t disappoint.

The younger Harris got to Duncan Park two hours before the start of the tournament and went through an opening routine that left no stone unturned.

“First, I started putting and chipping for 45 minutes, and then I hit the driving range for 10 minutes,” Deuce said. “We went inside and sat down a few minutes, and then we went back out and putted.”

On the opening hole of the three-hole tournament, Deuce two-putted the hole to come away with a 3 on a par 4. On the second hole, he was the only person in his group to shoot a 2.

On hole three, though, Deuce ran into some trouble with a sand trap, which caused him to shoot a 6 — and there was a bit of a disagreement between Deuce and his father on what club to use to get out of the bunker.

“We got into a debate,” Harris Sr. said. “We have one hole (each tournament) where we strongly disagree. It’s gotten to where I won’t caddy for him in the big tournaments.

“Sometimes he’s right, sometimes I’m right. It just varies.”

Deuce said he felt mad after getting a 6 on No. 3, but he quickly recovered on the one-hole playoff, shooting a 3 and securing the boys’ championship.

“It felt pretty good,” Deuce said of winning the tournament

Harris Sr., who works for Nestlé Waters North America, said he got into golf as an adult because of his co-workers. Deuce hadn’t been born yet, but by the time he was 2, Deuce was spending time on the golf course with his dad.

“It became something where I got to spend time with him,” Harris Sr. said.

Harris Sr. said the first time Deuce stepped onto a golf course, he hit the ball 25 yards. After that, he took him to a local coach in Wisconsin, where Harris Sr. was living at the time.

“We called him Coach Chad; I don’t remember his last name,” Harris Sr. said. “Coach Chad told me, ‘Man, he’s a machine. He’s just pounding the ball.’”

Soon afterward, the family moved to Houston, where they tried to get a coach named Greg Lyons to coach him. But Lyons wouldn’t take Deuce at first.

“It was a 5 and over camp, and he was only 4 at the time,” Harris Sr. said. “I told his mother to tell them to take (Deuce) anyway. He started playing really well, and they soon moved him up with the high schoolers. The guy that didn’t want him is now his coach.”

When Deuce started doing better than some of the high schoolers, he admitted he started talking a little smack — which he still does.

“We’re working on that,” Harris Sr. said.

The smack talk isn’t limited to people outside Deuce’s family, either.

“After I started playing, I called my dad Charles Barkley, because he couldn’t hit the ball off the tee,” Deuce joked.

Harris Sr. said golf comes second to grades, and he defers to his wife on making sure their son stays on top of his schoolwork. Winona Harris said her son is self-motivated sometimes, but other times, she has to step in.

“Sometimes I have to stay on him,” Winona said, “but he’s a quick learner. He knows when I’m serious.”

Deuce is also a role model of sorts for his younger brother, Dillon, who also plays golf.

“I watch my brother play,” Dillon said. “He plays golf good.”

Deuce said he wants to play on the PGA Tour when he grows up, and since he likes putting and chipping the most, Deuce said that allowed him to pick a favorite golfer.

“I like Phil Mickelson,” Deuce said. “He can chip. I want to be better than all of them.”

In order to do that, Deuce admitted he’s going to have to be extremely focused on golf.

“I have to keep my mind straight and have good grades so you can play golf, and don’t argue,” Deuce said.

His dad agreed.

“What do I tell you all the time?” Harris Sr. said.

“Listen,” Deuce responded.

“That’s the big thing,” Harris Sr. said.