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NATCHEZ — Being the golf course superintendent at the Natchez Golf Club at Duncan Park perhaps has its advantage sometimes, even when the golf course itself may not be in the best of conditions because of the months-long drought that has gripped the Miss-Lou region.

Greg Brooking of Natchez has had that distinguished honor for about 15 years and over the weekend, he shot back-to-back rounds of 3-under-par 68 for a two-day total of 6-under-par 136 to not only win the Super Senior Men’s (60-69) division, but also the Overall championship by one shot over Pete Powell at the 2023 Natchez Senior Men’s and Ladies’ Golf Championships.

“I played really good. The course was really tough because we played with USGA (United States Golf Association) rules and it’s really dry out here. So it was a lot of tight lies,” Brooking said. “I’m satisfied with 68-68 with those conditions, playing the front tees.”

Brooking had five birdies and just two bogeys each day of competition. He noted that Powell played a “spectacular” round of golf last Sunday. Powell, also from Natchez, won the Legends Men’s division and finished second overall with rounds of 1-under-par 70 last Saturday and 4-under-par 67 last Sunday for a two-day score of 5-under-par 137.

“He shot 31 on the front. He was leading the tournament after the first four holes the second day. He was making so many birdies, it made my head spin,” Brooking said about Powell’s amazing start to Sunday’s final round. “He birdied 2, 3, 4, and 5. He had a two- or three-shot lead after No. 5. But you know in golf or life, you never quit. You never quit trying. I never quit and I caught him.”

While Powell was going on his birdie binge and Brooking made a couple of bogeys on the front nine last Sunday, just the opposite happened on the back nine, allowing Brooking to take the stunning come-from-behind Overall title. Powell did come in first place in the Legends Men’s (70-plus) division.

“Pete came back to me. I did make some birdies coming in and on the last few holes. I caught him two strokes on 13. I birdied that hole and he bogeyed it. I caught one stroke on 15 – I parred it and he bogeyed it. And I parred 18 and he made bogey. I hated to see him make bogey on 18,” Brooking said. “I thought he was going to make par on 18.”

What was most interesting about the finish was that Brooking had an eight-foot putt for par while Powell had just a four-footer for par on No. 18. Brooking said he never dreamed of how that hole would play out on the green. He added that it should have been the other way around.

“It was like a gift I didn’t want to take. But I had to. He (Powell) shot 67 with seven birdies and three bogeys. Unbelievable,” Brooking said.”

Powell said he played better on Sunday than he did on Saturday, but he noted that he left several shots out on the golf course.

“We played it down so the fairways played good. But if you got out of the fairway, you had problems,” Powell said. “The greens were really good. They were turning too brown on the old nine. So he (Brooking) had to water the old side more than he wanted to.”

Powell added that the rough was thin because it’s been so dry. He noted that some balls rolled to the bottom and touches the ground.
“So, it’s hard to get a club on it. I pretty well hit it in the fairway. I didn’t miss too many fairways,” Powell noted. “That’s way the scores were what they were. You don’t know how fare it’s going to go. It’s a guessing game once the ball goes in the rough.”

Surprisingly, Derick Dunigan from Natchez was the only golfer participating in the Senior Men’s (50-59) division. He played both days and shot rounds of 85 and 81 for a two-day total of 166.

There was also just one participant vying for the Natchez Ladies’ Golf Championship. Camella Richardson completed both rounds and had scores of 92 and 90 for a two-day total of 182.

There were 17 total players in this year’s two-day tournament, which Brooking said is what the turnout usually is these days.

“It’s always 15 to 20 players. It’s not a big tournament. No one from Beau Pré (Country Club) enters it. Bill Byrne entered it one year. That’s always how it is,” Brooking said. “No one from Beau Pré enters it, even though they’re allowed to play. It’s a city tournament, so they can come play.”