NATCHEZ &045; One of these times Terry Pierce is going to win this thing.

For the second year, Pierce, a Baton Rouge native, led after the first day of the Harvest Club Open at Duncan Park only to fall short on Sunday.

&uot;I’ll keep trying. I will be back next year,&uot; Pierce said.

Jerry Scales, who was tied with Pierce after both shot 71s Saturday to lead the field, shot a 79 to take the tournament victory. Pierce, finished second after shooting an 81.

&uot;It wasn’t the best round, but it was good enough,&uot; Scales, from Memphis, Tenn. said. &uot;They put the pins back and the tees so all the holes were playing 50 or 60 yards longer than yesterday.&uot;

Morris Hughes was third with rounds of 73 and 80.

This was Scales’ first trip to play golf in Natchez, but he said it won’t be his last.

&uot;I’ll be back next year for sure,&uot; Scales said. &uot;I was going to be back regardless of how I did.&uot;

Ten of the 11 golfers in the championship flight shot higher scores Sunday than they had Saturday and most of the field also shot higher second round scores. A number of golfers talked about how tough the course played Sunday.

&uot;The golf course is a little tough,&uot; Pierce said. &uot;If you hit the ball above the hole, it’s almost impossible to get a good score. I had a couple holes where I just couldn’t put the ball in after I got on the green. The pin positions were very difficult and the greens were a lot quicker.&uot;

Joe Percival, playing in the championship flight, was one of the few exceptions to the rising Sunday scores. Percival shot a 75, the low round Sunday, after shooting an 82 Saturday. He said the key was to place the ball below the pin on the green to make putting easier.

Tournament director K.G. Watkins said he thought the tournament was a success.

&uot;Putting on this tournament is a challenge for me, but I think it’s gone well,&uot; Watkins said. &uot;The greens aren’t in the best shape right now, and I feel bad about that because of how far away some of these guys come from. We have people from eight different states and one from the Virgin Islands. Guys are coming a long way to play here.&uot;

For most of the players, it was the first tournament of the young season. With the rising temperatures and beautiful sunny weather, golf is starting up again strong this season and Pierce said the Harvest Club Open was a great way to get going.

&uot;It’s a great tournament here,&uot; Pierce said. &uot;They have a lot of community support from their sponsors and it shows.&uot;