By GREG MOORE

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — Greg Brooking recently received the 2018 Men’s Super Senior Player of the Year Award presented by the Mississippi Golf Association.

The super senior classification in golf is anyone age 60 and up.

“It is an honor to win the award,” said Brooking, who was born and raised in Natchez.

Brooking said he started playing golf when he was 13 years old.

Brooking said he never took lessons and that his father taught him the most about the game.

“To sum up golf, I love everything about the game,” Brooking said. “The course, the grass, the people, but mostly the feel of a crisp well stuck shot. Then watching it fly into the blue sky headed for my target, the game gives me great joy.”

Brooking said the Mississippi Golf Association structure is set up just like the PGA Ryder Cup.

“You play in tournaments and depending on which tournaments you win,” Brooking said, “you garner more points toward making the Governor’ s Cup Team and making Player of the Year.”

This past year, Brooking said he had much success in the golf tournaments he participated in.

Brooking won the Mississippi State Amateur Championship in the Super Senior Division.

Brooking said he also traveled to Bandon, Oregon, to get a win.

“The biggest one, I went out to Bandon Dunes with Bill Byrne, and we won the Bandon Dunes International 4 Ball Championship,” Brooking said.

Brooking said he knew he was in contention for Player of the Year because the Mississippi Golf Association website posts the Player of the Year Statistics.

“I knew there was an excellent player, Robert Willis, who really played well and Bill Byrne too from Natchez was vying for that award,” Brooking said.

Brooking is believed to be the first person from Natchez to ever be presented with the Mississippi Golf Association’s Mississippi Player of the Year Award.

After winning the Mississippi State Amateur Championship, Brooking became who is believed to be the second person from Natchez to win that tournament. Tim Guercio won the Junior Mississippi State Amateur Championship in 1977.

Brooking has received an invitation to the 2019 Celebration of Golf Dinner that will be Jan. 26 at the Country Club of Jackson.

At the dinner Brooking will be recognized for his outstanding achievements this year.