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NATCHEZ — Wesley Hunter, from Birmingham, won The Natchez Open pro division by shooting 5 strokes less than Casey Fernandez to finish at -21 under. Hunter shot 65, 64, 63 over the three round tournament to win the grand prize of $5,000 thanks to sponsors Taco Bell, Go Mart, Visit Natchez and William Burnsed. 

Fernandez shot -16 under and Joseph Dendy of Brandon shot -13 under par.  Local Greg Brooking, who is the golf course superintendent, won the senior amateur championship by shooting four-under par. Ricky Sims from Caton was one stroke behind him. Jack Lee from Patterson, Louisiana won the amateur championship with an eight under par. 

Hunter said he had entered the event after nearly qualifying for the Korn Ferry Q School on October 20, but he had fallen a few rounds short of making the tour. Korn Ferry is the step below the PGA Tour and is the goal of any pro golfer trying to qualify for the PGA Tour. He turned pro in 2018. 

“I was bummed. I went home and took a few days off. I played in the tournament because I needed to sign up for something to get out of this funk,” he said. “I played to get out of the house and ended up having a good mindset going in. It was the most fun I have had playing golf in a long time.” 

Hunter said he was on the road to Atlanta next to play a qualifying round at the RSM Sea Island Classic. It is another mini-tour event to help keep his game focused. This time of year is hard to find events to play in as the golf season is winding down. 

He said Natchez was a great tournament to play in. His groups for each day of the tournament were great and he stayed with a buddy of his in Natchez. It is not his first trip to Natchez. Hunter said he previously played in a tournament at Beau Pre Country Club and Duncan Park.

“It is always a fun tournament to play at Duncan Park. Greg does a good job,” he said. “The greens were good. I had a blast. It was a fun week. Hopefully next year I will have my Korn Ferry Status and I won’t be able to play here. Greg told me he doesn’t want to see me come back, he wants to see me qualify. If i’m not there next year it is a good sign. Greg told me he wants me to make the Korn Ferry tour, he is good about supporting golfers.” 

Final Standings

Pro Division

1. Hunter, -21 (65, 64, 63)
2. Fernandez, -16 (69, 67, 61)
3. Joseph Dendy, -13 (66, 66, 68)
4. Jonathan McCain, -11 (68, 70, 64)
5. Austin Rose, -11 (67, 65, 70)
6. Tate Dickerson, -10 (64, 69, 70)
7. Michael Arnaud, -10 (69, 64, 70)
8. Afnan Chowdhury, -8 (70, 69, 66)
9. Jackson Wedgeworth, -8 (69, 67, 69)
10. Hayes Weathersby, -6 (69, 69, 69)
11. Scott Milam, -5 (70, 70, 68)
12. Greg Sonnier, -5 (68, 68, 72)
13. Garrett Johnson, -4 (72, 71, 66)
14. Brian Rowell, -4 (72, 70, 67)
15. Jacob Ross, -3 (71, 69, 70)
16. Sheldon Statkewicz, +2 (73, 71, 71)
17. Ezra Evans, +4 (74, 75, 68)
18. Nick Wade, +5 (74, 74, 70)
19. Daniel Tomba, +11 (77, 73, 74)
20. Alan Graves, +12 (76, 78, 71) 

Amateur Championship 

1. Lee, -8 (67, 68, 70)
2. Shawn Cox, -2 (68, 69, 74)
3. Zach Smith, -1 (70, 74, 68) 
4. Casey Ham, +3 (72, 74, 70)
5. Landon Cottrell, +3 (71, 74, 71)
6. Timothy Roop, +4 (71, 75, 71)
7. Monty Hilton, +4 (74, 71, 72) 
8. Erik Hsu, +6 (73, 73, 73)
9. Bryan Crowder, +9 (73, 74, 75)
10. Brett Baker, +13 (74, 75, 77)
11. Guion Gee, +14 (75, 74, 78)
12. Scott Anderson, +15 (75, 76, 77)

Senior Amateur Championship 

1. Brooking, -4 (70, 72, 67)
2. Ricky Sims, -3 (73, 69, 68)
3. Paul Hunt, +1 (70, 74, 70)
4. Kyle Smith, +1 (71, 74, 69)
5. Pete Powell, +1 (72, 70, 72)
6. Barry Stafford, +1 (73, 70, 71)
7. Chan Henry, +10 (73, 79, 71)
8. William Walker, +13 (76, 77, 73)
9. Bill Byrne, +15 (73, 74, 81)
10. Brother Sandifer, +16 (76, 76, 77)