For the second straight year, Mike Hurley held off Chase Smith to win the Warren County championships.

But Hurley knows it won’t last forever.

&#8220It won’t be long until Chase in the man,” said Hurley, who earned a one-stroke victory over the former Class 1A high school state champion. &#8220He’s got the game and it won’t be long.”

Hurley two-putted for par on the 18th hole to finish the two-day event at 1-under par. Smith finished one shot behind him and Greg Clement, the first-round leader, finished two off the pace.

The event, open to any Warren County resident, not only crowns the county champion, but also makes up the team that will battle the Vicksburg Country Club’s best in cup matches that begin in three weeks at VCC. Clear Creek has never beaten the Country Club team at the city course.

&#8220It’s always a tough match,” Hurley said. &#8220They won it the first five or six years, but I think our skill level got up to the point almost with theirs. Now it’s a home-course advantage thing.”

Clement entered the final round with a one-stroke lead over Hurley, while Smith was two shots back. Smith was at 4-under heading into No. 16 on Saturday before a bogey-double bogey-bogey finish put the St. Aloysius rising senior at even par.

&#8220I should have been at four-under going into today,” Smith said.

The trouble Smith had on the late holes Saturday nearly cost Hurley on Sunday.

On the par-5 16th, his driving second shot ricocheted past the green and into thick brush and up against a medium sized stick. Unable to move the stick for fear of moving the ball, Hurley punched it from the weeds off the green. He two-putted for bogey and stood one stroke ahead of Smith, who was in the group one hole in front of Hurley’s.

On 17, Hurley smacked a shot under a tree, was unable to get a shot and eventually settled for his second straight bogey to even the score.

The back-to-back bogeys were a rarity for Hurley.

&#8220He got it up-and-down when he had to,” said Clement, who shot a 7 on the first hole to quickly lose the tournament lead. &#8220The front side he played solid. On the back, he had a good three of four hole stretch and when he did hit a bad shot, he recovered from it.”

Smith reached the green on 18 in two shots, but came up short on a 60-foot, uphill putt. He missed a 6-footer that would have kept him in a tie with Hurley. His bogey put him one back and Hurley parred the final hole for the championship.

&#8220I couldn’t get anything to fall,” said Smith, who came within inches of making several long putts on the back nine. &#8220I putted great all day. I never had to make one outside of three feet for par except for that last one.”

Smith knew that he and Hurley were tied for the lead.

&#8220I hit my second shot a little fat and had about a 60-footer,” Smith said. &#8220I ended up three-putting.”

Mickey Ellis, playing in Smith’s foursome, provided the comic relief on a brutally hot Mississippi July afternoon. On the 18th hole, after missing a putt, he began an anti-golf tirade.

&#8220I hate golf,” he said. “I hate its momma. I hate its daddy. I hate its granddaddy, I hate its aunt…”

He eventually hit a short putt to finish the tournament at xx, xx shots off the lead.