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NATCHEZ — Last year, Casey Ham and Jordan Farmer were the co-leaders after Round 1 of the championship flight of the Beau Pré Club Championship at Beau Pré Country Club that still took place amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farmer pulled away on the back nine to win his fifth Beau Pré Club Championship while Ham wondered what could have been as he finished three shots back in second place. Farmer was not at the tournament this year as Ham won the championship.

“I wish Jordan would have been there. He wasn’t there to defend his spot,” Ham said. “I want to thank the course pro for running a great tournament. I want to thank the course superintendent Carry Whitten for busting his tail to get the course in good shape.”

He won the 2021 Beau Pré Club Championship with a first round of 5-under-par 67 Saturday and an even-par 72 Sunday. He finished the two-day total of 5-under-par 139.

“It went fine. I had a one-shot lead after the first day,” Ham said. “It is a good spot to be in. On Sunday, you are playing with the two guys closer to you. I shot even par. I wasn’t worried about making any birdies.”

During the round, he kept a close eye on his playing partners. He said he just tried to par every hole. On the 14th hole, he checked the scores to see if someone was making a special final-round charge.

Mark Carter was in second place heading into the final round. He had a rough start to the day, bogeying the first four holes, which allowed Ham to relax. He said Saturday was the day that stood out to him.

“I did not know where I stood on Saturday,” Ham said. “I bogeyed two and eagled five. I bogeyed seven, and I birdied eight. I birdied three out of the last four holes. The ones I bogeyed were probably the easiest holes out there.”