Edwardsville golf standout Justin Hemings will be a member of the SIUE Edwardsville golf team this year.

EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville High School golf standout Justin Hemings has come back to play in his hometown again, this time for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

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SIUE men's golf has added Edwardsville native Justin Hemings to its roster.

Hemings comes to SIUE after a semester at Northern Illinois University. He graduated from Edwardsville High School in December 2015 then played the spring semester with the Huskies.

Hemings is already enrolled in his first semester at SIUE and said it feels good to be playing golf in his hometown again with such an excellent program.

“It is great being able to represent my hometown and play here,” he said. “It is something everybody can’t do.”

SIUE head coach Derrick Brown said he is excited to add a player of Henings’ caliber to his roster.

“He brings some college experience from his time at NIU and I look forward to watching him grow at SIUE over the coming years,” the coach said.

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Hemings appeared in five of Northern Illinois' six spring tournaments, including the Mid-American Conference championship where he enjoyed his best finish, tying for 23rd-place. His lowest round of the season came in the third round at the MAC championship where he fired a 72.

The Edwardsville golfer said he still reflects sometimes on capturing the state high school individual golf title, but for now, he wants to focus on being the best he can be at SIUE. He acknowledged that playing at the collegiate level and being a strong student are together a full-time proposition.

“I want to continue to improve,” he said. “I look forward to working with SIUE golf coach Derrick Brown. He is a good coach and one of the reasons I wanted to play there.”

Hemings is also going to major in accounting and he said SIUE has a well-known School of Business.

The Edwardsville golfer said he still reflects sometimes on capturing the state high school individual golf title, but for now, he wants to focus on being the best he can be at SIUE.

Prior to his time at NIU, Hemings captured the IHSA 3A State Championship as a senior at Edwardsville in 2015. He medaled three other times as a senior. Hemings was part of a Tigers team that captured four conference titles, two regional championships and a super sectional championship in 2015.

He said playing golf on a college level takes a full-time commitment with the academic part and he is prepared to do that again at SIUE.

SIUE men's golf opens the 2016-17 season Saturday, Sept. 3, at the UNO Invitational in Nebraska City, Neb.

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