NATCHEZ — The final day of the Norman Puckett golf clinic at Duncan Park was a chance for young golfers to showcase the improvements they’ve made in the past month.

The five-hole tournament took place June 30 after nearly 40 children came out to Duncan Park every Monday in June to learn golf tips and fundamentals from PGA pros like Lee Burke and Jimmy Headrick.

Duncan Park golf course director Greg Brooking said he was happy with the turn out of the June clinic and most importantly, he said it was refreshing to see so many young golfers come together to achieve a common goal.

“Every one of the kids advanced in some way in their play,” Brooking said. “It was a lot of comradery, which is a big part of golf. We mixed up the age groups and they got better and mostly, they are better people.”

The flights were separated by Burke using a mixture of age and skill level. The younger, less experienced golfers competed earlier in the day in a four-man scramble featuring five teams.

The first place winners from the first flight were Noah Russ, Grayson Guedon, Alex Owens and Kolby Cox.

The championship flight — the older, more experienced golfers — was a three-man scramble consisting of three teams.

The first place winners were Jack Russ, Lydia McClatchy and Quade Rushing with a score of 22 on five holes, just barely beating out Cooper Williams, Garrett Rentfro and Jackson Moody who scored 23.

McClatchy said she came to the golf clinic when she first became interested in the sport, and after a three-year break from golf, she knew she would return to Duncan Park to get back into the groove of things.

“I learned a lot of putting technique and about the different putters I can use for different things,” McClatchy said. “I just wanted to get some tips from some pros to get the right form.”

McClatchy said she kept those tips Burke and Headrick gave her in the back of her mind when heading to the course.

“I was thinking, ‘Don’t raise up, keep your head still and keep balance in your swing,’” she said. “You have to have the same speed swinging back as you do forth, it’s not all about swinging really hard.”

Burke said she liked to see the golfers implementing the lessons she taught them in their personal game.

“I loved to see it all come together in the tournament, it as special,” Burke said. “That is why I continue to do this, to see the kids get better. I hope they keep doing it and stick with it, because this is something they can do for the rest of their lives.