With a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the Red Carpet Bowl Golf Tournament, Pierson Waring, Brock Campbell and Warren Hood could have taken a conservative, defensive approach to protect it.

Instead, they went out and blew away the competition.

Sparked by a fast start and a couple of hot putters, the trio shot a 121 in the final round Sunday at Vicksburg Country Club to win the tournament by five strokes. Waring, Campbell and Hood finished with a two-round total of 174.

The tournament followed a scramble-shamble format for the two rounds. In a scramble, each team plays its best shot. In a shamble, the team plays two balls.

“Brock made a bunch of putts on Saturday and I made a bunch (Sunday). Warren just hit it close. He got the longest drive both days. We brother-in-lawed it pretty good,” Waring said. “That’s why I called them.”

The team of Brandon Goldsmith, Chuck Holloway and Blake Brown shot a 120 on Sunday to finish second, at 179 for the tournament.

Waring, Campbell and Hood split a $1,000 cash prize for their victory. Goldsmith, Holloway and Brown won $600, and the third-place team of Brady Ellis, Judd Mims and Chris Whittington finished third and took home $400.

Other winners were Conner Douglas, Eddie Brown and Jeff Harpole in the first flight, with a score of 185; and Jeremy Roach, Eric Richards and Jordan Muirhead in the second flight. The winning teams in each flight won $1,000.

The tournament was a benefit for the Red Carpet Bowl’s scholarship fund and raised around $3,000 for the cause, tournament co-director Michael Jones said. The Red Carpet Bowl awards scholarships to students from each of Warren County’s four high schools.

“Especially with the football games getting rained out this year, it helps with that,” Jones said.

A total of 72 golfers — 24 three-man teams — participated in the second edition of the tournament. That was an increase of nine from last year and, Jones said, showed that the tournament is a viable companion to the Red Carpet Bowl’s annual football and basketball games that are played each year.

The third Red Carpet Bowl Golf Tournament is already on the schedule for Oct. 12 and 13 in 2019.

“Last year we set the standard and tried to get it out there. Now that we’ve had a successful second year, it makes it happen for you and we’re very pleased with the product we’re putting out there,” Jones said.