Back-to-back Louisiana Amateur winner John Humphries (www.lgagolf.org photo)

The wait wasn't as long for win number three, this year's 101st playing of the historic championship.

Today at New Orleans' Bayou Oaks at City Park, Humphries (of Woodworth, Louisiana) tied the course record of 5-under 67. That got him to 9-under on the tournament, allowing the former LSU start to pass the three members of the final group playing behind him, and escape with a one stroke victory over Eli Ortego of Broussard, who was playing with him.

Another shot back tied for third at 7-under were third round leader (and fellow Mid-Am) Derek Busby of Ruston (final round 73) and Grayson Gilbert of Monroe (final round 70)

At one point on the back nine, six players shared the lead. That was a fitting finish to a tournament in which a different player held the lead after each of the four rounds. In the end, it was Humphries' course-record tying play that pushed him over the top.

He parred the first four holes then made back-to-back birdies on Hole Nos. 5 and 6.

After making the turn at two-under par 34. Humphries got hot again back-to-back birdies at the par 5 11th and the par 4 12th.

Humphries made his lone bogey of the day on No. 15, but bounced back with a birdie one hole later. He closed things out with a birdie on No. 18, pushing him a shot in front of Ortego, who played solid down the stretch with four-straight pars after a birdie on No. 14. Ortego is a senior at Ascension Episcopal High School who, no doubt has a fine career in front of him.

But the 101st Louisiana State Am was another for the Mid-Ams, putting Humphries back on top as the top-ranked player in the state.

Nine competitors finished under par for the championship:

Rounding out the top-5 Nicholas Arcement of Thibodaux and Greg Berthelot of Baton Rouge. Berthelot finished the third round with the only eagle on No. 18, setting him up for a final group pairing a shot out of the lead. After hanging around with the leaders through 12 holes, he struggle with two bogeys and a double coming home but still posted a very solid tournament total of 5-under thanks to three-straight under par rounds.

TOURNAMENT NOTES (courtesy Louisiana Golf Association)

Humphries became the fifth player all-time, and first since 1968, to win at least three Louisiana Amateur Championships, and he is also the first player to ever win this championship in three different decades. He previously won when he was 23 (84th Louisiana Amateur at Southern Trace Country Club in 2003) and 39 years of age (100th Louisiana Amateur last year at Baton Rouge Country Club).

This was the first time that the South Course at Bayou Oaks at City Park, which opened in 2017, hosted the Louisiana Amateur Championship and it did not disappoint. The course was in excellent condition and drew rave reviews from this field of the top amateur players in Louisiana. It’s especially fitting that the 101st edition of this championship was held on the property of the City Park Golf Complex that originally opened in 1902. The course played to a par of 72 at approximately 7,000 yards on Sunday.