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Luke Yocum holds the Warren County Open championship trophy after winning the tournament Sunday at Clear Creek Golf Course. Yocum had a two-round total of 135 and won by five shots. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Robert Portwood won the Warren County Open senior division championship Sunday at Clear Creek Golf Course. Portwood had a two-round total of 144. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Luke Yocum places his ball on the green on the 12th hole during the final round of the Warren County Open Sunday at Clear Creek Golf Course. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Luke Yocum hits his tee shot on the 13th hole during the final round of the Warren County Open Sunday at Clear Creek Golf Course. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Luke Yocum shakes hands with Henry Ellerbee, right, at the conclusion of the final round of the Warren County Open Sunday at Clear Creek Golf Course. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Luke Yocum cleans his club after hitting his tee shot on the 13th hole during the final round of the Warren County Open Sunday at Clear Creek Golf Course. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Luke Yocum putts on the 12th hole during the final round of the Warren County Open Sunday at Clear Creek Golf Course. Yocum shot a 65 in the final round, and had a two-round total of 135 to win the tournament. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Luke Yocum has learned a thing or two about tournament golf from more than a decade in the game. Chief among them is that it’s easier to relax and play with a lead.

“Golf is hard, and when you throw the stress in there it’s even harder,” he said.

Yocum made sure his trip around Clear Creek Golf Course on Sunday was about as stressful as a walk on the beach.

Yocum made five birdies on the back nine, and seven in a bogey-free round of 65 that propelled him to an easy victory at the Warren County Open. He beat runner-up Gabriel Riveros by five shots to win the tournament for the second time.

“It’s hard to get a ball in the hole. The difference between par and birdie on a hole is a big difference even though it’s only a shot,” said Yocum, a Vicksburg native who plays college golf for the Mississippi University for Women. “You’ve really got to hit it close, and then you have to hit a good putt. I tried to tell myself to hit them as close as you can and make them as stressless as possible, and at worst two-putt for par and keep on rolling.”

2024 Warren County Open scores

Yocum won the Warren County Open in 2021, then finished second and fourth the next two years. He let a five-shot lead slip away in the final round in 2022, and said it felt good to close this one out.

“It feels good. It’s been a close call and then last year was a little bit of a disappointment, but it feels good to have a good round and win,” Yocum said.

Yocum shot a 70 on Saturday to enter the final round tied for the lead with Josh Hallberg. Henry Ellerbee was one shot back of the leaders, and then Riveros and Kyle Simmons were two behind. Three others were at 73.

Yocum started slow — his first birdie did not come until the fifth hole — and made the turn with Riveros nipping at his heels.

Both Yocum and Riveros were 2-under par on the front nine. Riveros made four birdies in the first 10 holes, but also had a bogey on No. 8.

Starting on No. 9, however, Yocum made birdie on four out of five holes to quickly extend his lead to four shots. Two more birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 kept Riveros at bay, and Yocum came to the 18th tee with a comfortable five-shot lead that he maintained with a par.

“I was struggling on the first few holes. I wasn’t hitting my irons good. I missed four greens on the front nine,” Yocum said. “I hit all the greens 7 through 18. I think I played the holes in that span in 6-under par. I just started giving myself good looks. They had some holes moved up so they were more reachable.”

Riveros, the 2023 Warren County Open champion, said he was satisfied with the run he made in the final round. He had six birdies on Sunday to finish at 68 for the round and 140 for the tournament. Yocum had a two-round total of 135.

Simmons shot an even-par 72 on Sunday to finish third, at 144 for the tournament. Joel Greer was fourth at 145, while Hartley Sullivan and Kevin Neihaus tied for fifth at 146.

“I’ll take it. Really, I did what I wanted to do which was birdie the holes you’re supposed to birdie out here — the par 5s. Yesterday I didn’t birdie any. I’m really not mad about that,” Riveros said. “I had a three-putt and didn’t get up and down on one hole. For the most part I feel like I played good. Hat’s off to Luke. He played great. A 65 is solid.”

In the other flights, Channing Curtis shot 152 for the tournament to win the first flight and Joseph Hasty won the second with a total of 161.

Rodney McHann won the super seniors championship for golfers ages 70 and over, with a total of 151. Suzanne Hurley was the women’s champion with a total of 166.

In the seniors division for golfers ages 60-69, Robert Portwood won his second Warren County championship with a two-round total of 144. He shot 74 on Sunday and beat Rodney Lindsey by three strokes.

Portwood also won the tournament in 2022.

“I think my putting saved me both days,” Portwood said. “The rest of it was about the same as normal, but I made some putts.”

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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