Tom Bryant was all smiles Sunday as he walked off the green of the 9th hole at Duncan Park.

Bryant shot a 67 in the second round to follow up the same score in his opening round to claim the 2017 Bill McKinney Natchez City Championship.

“It feels good,” Bryant said. “I had like a four-shot lead going into (final nine), and I just played it conservative.”

Bryant outlasted four-time defending champion Jordan Farmer, who finished just two strokes behind. Farmer has won the championship five times overall and shot a Championship Flight low 65 in his opening round.

“Jordan played really well, and he got real close to reeling me in,” Bryant said. “I was just trying to hit fairways and greens and make pars.”

Because of Saturday’s rainstorm, Bryant and the rest of the field were forced to play only nine holes on Saturday before following up Sunday with another 27.

Bryant said Sunday’s unusual cool summer conditions made the lengthy session tolerable.

“We played a full 18 this morning, then came back and played the front again,” he said. “The weather was good, and I don’t think anyone got tired today.”

Duncan Park superintendent Greg Brooking said the city championship can be traced back all the way to 1922.

“It’s been here long, it was called the Gillette Cup in the old days,” he said. “To have a successful city championship is always a thrill to a manger.”

Brooking said he was glad the tournament was able to feature the traditional full 36 holes, despite Saturday’s wet conditions.

“I feel real fortunate that we were able to get past the rain,” he said. “I was proud of the fact that we had 92 players in the tournament, and that’s the largest we’ve had in numerous years. To get that many people is great, and I’m hoping we can continue to have that many players and more.”

Other winners included 2nd Flight winner Richard Criswell, 109 total; 3rd Flight winner Wesley Rogers, 109 overall; and 4th Flight winner Danny Farr, 126 total.