Tarkio senior Derek Hawkins felt the sting of finishing second last year.

But on Tuesday, Hawkins made sure he wouldn’t feel that again by shooting a 79 at the Class 1 Missouri State Golf Championships in Springfield, Mo., to overcome a one-stroke deficit and win the two-day tournament by three strokes over Tipton’s Issac Garber.

“The last year definitely helped being in the final group but coming up short,” Hawkins said. “I knew that I could have won but took it as a lesson to carry it over this year and get it this year.”

Hawkins became the first golf state champion from Tarkio High School. The Indians finished in seventh place in the team standings, shooting a 718.

Despite not shooting a birdie on Tuesday, Hawkins scrambled several times to save par at the beginning of the round and played damage control while Garber struggled through the round giving Hawkins a five-shot lead going into the 18th hole. Hawkins double-bogeyed the 18th, but it didn’t matter with the five-shot cushion.

“I knew it’d take a pretty fair score to win it, but I knew I had it in me,” Hawkins said. “I was definitely gunning for the win.”

Hawkins, a four-year state qualifier, started the tournament with a memorable chip-in from the sand for birdie and finished in a memorable way winning the tournament.

Mid-Buchanan finished seventh as a team carding a 709 for the tournament. Drew Gray finished tied for 11th shooting a two-day total of 163. Dillon Delaney finished tied for 34th. Lee Jordan tied for 40th carding a 140 and Adam Burkart shot a 186.

Mound City’s Miles Jumps finished tied for 21st shooting an 83 on Tuesday. Rock Port’s Damond Wennihan tied for 28th shooting an 86 on Tuesday.

Maryville improved its team round by nine strokes on Tuesday to finish in fifth place at the Class 2 Golf Championships in Bolivar, Mo.

Tanner Reames followed up his first-day 81 with an 82 to finish tied for 16th place.

Lawson’s Hunter Lewis shot par for the course to tie for third place and capture all-state honors.

Bishop LeBlond’s Chris Crawford shot an 84 to finish tied for 33rd place. His teammate, Mitch Culver, improved upon his 91 from day one and shot a 78 to finish 40th after sitting in 67th place after the first day. Derek Garver equaled his total from day one to finish in 69th place with a 180 for the tournament.

Savannah sophomore Ryan Hand, continuing to recover from an appendectomy two weeks ago, shot a 77 on Tuesday to finish 23rd at the Class 3 Golf Championships in Republic, Mo. He finished two strokes behind earning all-state honors.

“I was happy with it,” Hand said. “I hit the ball pretty solid.”

Hand, making his second appearance in the state tournament in two years, started the day in 42nd place after shooting an 80 on Monday. Hand finished 48th as a freshman.

After his drive found its way into the thick rough, Hand, from 210 yards out, muscled the ball onto the green and parred the hole for his nicest shot of the tournament.