NATCHEZ — The final round of the Beau Pré Club Championship was set up for a dog fight Sunday with Casey Ham and Jordan Farmer coming into the final 18 holes tied for the lead.

But Ham made sure there was little drama on the 18th hole as he put together a round of 69 to pull away and win the tournament by seven strokes.

“It feels good,” Ham said about winning the club championship. “I played solid. I play a lot with Jordan. We are four-ball partners, and he hit the ball good.”

Ham said he cruised through the first 15 holes Sunday but ran into a bit of trouble on 16.

“I doubled 16, and just had to hold on for the last two,” he said.

Ham said Farmer played well and provided good competition throughout the tournament.

“We just traded birdies at first, but I was able to get a little bit ahead at the end,” Ham said.

Beau Pré club pro Carey Witten said the course played tough this weekend, and he was impressed with the way Ham finished out the tournament.

“It was set up quite difficult, and the winning score was astounding,” Witten said. “I was really pleasantly surprised by his effort.”

Witten said his first experience with the Beau Pré Club Championship was a good one.

“As far as competition, we had a strong turnout with a competitive field,” he said.

Ham set the pace with a two-day score of 141, Farmer finished with a 148 and Lloyd Trisler finished third with a 152.

One goal on the mind of players unable to catch Ham for the championship was qualifying for the Beau Pré Cup Team by finishing in the top 15.

Club President Chuck Fields said he made that cut despite battling a very difficult course Sunday, he said.

“My goal every year is to qualify for the Beau Pre Cup and I did that,” he said. “I struggled (Sunday). They stretched it out. I think the course set up really tough, and they really stretched it out on us. It was a fun, fair test.”

Fields said the club championship is a special tournament for the members.

“Everybody here is friends, but it’s competitive,” he said. “It’s great, and we all enjoy it.”

Mark Carter also qualified for the cup team, and he said the course was as difficult as he had seen it in his decade of play there.

“When you try to determine the best golfer in the club, you want to set it up at its most challenging,” he said.

Carter said he was impressed with Ham’s performance.

“I tell you what, he played really strong,” Carter said. “The way it was set up, he played really strong. He’s a great player and a good guy.”

David Cothren finished with a score of 160 to take the First Flight, and Matthew Hall won the Second Flight with a final score of 168.