NATCHEZ — Determining who would be the overall senior men’s champion at the 2011 Natchez Senior Men’s and Ladies City Golf Championships at the Duncan Park Golf Course turned out to be a little more dramatic than expected.

Greg Brooking had a big lead over K.G. Watkins and Bill Byrne going into Sunday afternoon’s play in the senior men’s (50-59) division, but there was one man who stood between Brooking and the championship — Pete Powell.

And after seven holes, Powell had not only erased the four-shot advantage of Brooking, he took the lead. And after the two of them went back and forth for the next 10 holes, Brooking parred the 18th hole while Powell ended up with a stunning bogey after his putt for par went in and out of the cup to give Brooking the senior men’s city championship.

After shooting a 64 on Saturday, Brooking shot a 70 to finish with a two-day score of 134. Powell shot a 4-under-par 67 to end up at 135 and he still finished first in the super senior men’s (60-69) division.

“I made a couple of bad swings. I hit a ball out of bounds on 12, and I hit it in the hazard on 5. I ended up with a double bogey (on No. 5). I played good in general,” said Brooking, who added the senior men’s city title to the city championship he won just a couple of months ago.

“I shot 1-under-par. Pete missed a short putt from 2 1/2 feet on 18. He picked up five shots on me in seven holes,” Brooking said. “Then we went back and forth, until Pete got a shot up on 11 and two shots up on 12. The turning point was No. 16. I birdied that hole after he bogeyed 13.”

As to his latest triumph, Brooking said, “That feels real good. We had good competition. We hope to see a lot more seniors next year.”

K.G. Watkins finished second in the senior men’s age group after shooting an even-par 71 to finish at 143. Bill Byrne ended up in third place despite a round of 75 for a two-day score of 147.

Charles Mardis, who was in the senior men’s division, had the most interesting round of the day as fired a round of 74 to finish fourth at 153. Mardis’s round included an eagle on No. 12, three birdies on the front nine, three bogeys, a double-bogey on No. 16 and a triple-bogey on the par-5 10th hole.

“It was up and down. I shot an 8 on No. 10 and eagled No. 12. But I enjoyed myself,” Mardis said. “I had a good group to play with. Phillip Trosclair and Bubba Bruce are some fine folks to play with. We didn’t play to win, but we played to have fun.”

Powell said he was going to have to play a really good round to catch Brooking. And he almost accomplished that feat.

“It seemed like I’d do something good to get the lead and then do something bad,” Powell said. “I eagled 7 to take the lead and then doubled 8 to give it right back. Then I birdied 11 to tie it up. Then I birdied 12 and Greg bogeyed the hole to go up two shots. Then I bogeyed 13 to stay up one shot. We both birdied 14. Then he birdied 16 to tie.

“I bogeyed 18 to lose overall by a shot. Basically he had no three-putts and I had three three-putts in two days and that was the difference.”

Frank Dominick, who played in a group that teed off at 8 a.m., shot a 2-under-par 69 to finish second in the super senior men’s division with a two-day score 143. Kenny Boyd would up in third place with a final-round 77 to finish at 155.

What was supposed to have been a three-way battle for the grand master’s men’s (70-and-older) title turned out to be just the opposite.

Cornelius Lewis shot a final-round 71 to finish in first place with a two-day score of 147. However, both Clayton Foster and Joe Brumfield, who were one and two shots behind Lewis, respectively, at the end of Saturday’s first round, both withdrew before completing the front nine.

“It was just one of them days. Sometimes you have good days and sometimes you have bad days,” Lewis said. “I made some birdies. The weather was good. We had a little shower, but that didn’t stop us. I hit fairways. My second shot was good.”

After a bogey on No. 6, Lewis birdied the last three holes on the front nine to go out in 2-under-par 33. He did struggle some on the back nine in come in with a 38.

This was the second year in a row and third in the last four years that Lewis has won this division.

Peggy Berniard of Baton Rouge, La. won the ladies championship. She had a final-round 85 to finish with a two-day score of 167.

“Today was a tough day for all the ladies because of the rain. It wasn’t just a sprinkle like it was (Saturday). It was three downpours and we kept on playing. So I expected the ladies to shoot higher today,” Berniard said. “My round today, I drove the ball well. My second shots were good. I just didn’t putt well. This tournament is in honor Ms. Frances (Trosclair). Even though the weather was bad, we were determined to finish it in her honor.

“I am so happy to see Mary Kate Partridge playing and really happy to reconnect with my friends that I lived and worked with in Natchez for 15 years.”

As for Partridge, she finished in second place in the first flight after shooting an 85 of her own to finish at 173.

“Yesterday I had a 9 on No. 8. Today I tried to play it safe. I went in the hazard on my second shot. I had a triple on that hole. I had to laugh about that,” Partridge said. “It was a fun day and I really enjoyed it.”

Beverly Knapp finished third with a two-day score of 174 in a scorecard playoff over Fran Farmer.