A day after shooting a course-record 10-under par 62, Chase Smith struggled in a rain-delayed final round of the Warren County Golf Championship.

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The Delta State University junior was able to overcome a birdie-less round filled with eight bogeys to win his third straight county championship by two shots over former two-time champ Mike Hurley Sunday afternoon at Clear Creek Golf Course. Smith, who finished with a 2-under 142, was four-over through the first seven holes when the rains came. He bogeyed No. 9 and then went three-over on the back to card an ugly-looking 80, but it was still good enough to win by two strokes.

“I just couldn’t make any putts,” Smith said after surviving his three-peat bid. “I had chances at 11, 12, 14, but I wasn’t aggressive enough on my birdie putts.”

He was aggressive at the par-4 18th, rolling his putt inches from the cup for a tap in par to cinch the tournament. Driving problems cost Smith five shots over the front nine, but he drove it well on the back. He had big drives on Nos. 11 and 12 and had two putts inside 12 feet on both — but the pair fell just inches short, leaving him with tap-in pars.

Hurley played steady through the front nine and then parred Nos. 10, 11, 12 and 13 to pull within two shots after Smith bogeyed 13. But on 14, Smith hit his tee shot within eight feet while Hurley was off the green and later made bogey to give a stroke back to Smith.

At 15, Smith was in the fairway but three-putted in, including a rushed par putt when he chose not to mark his ball.

“I just wasn’t thinking right,” Smith said of the bogey which brought Hurley to within two shots.

Hurley stuck his second shot at No. 16 within 12 feet for an eagle try and a tie for the lead. He came up short but made the birdie to make it a one-shot deficit.

“Yeah, I could’ve tied it up with an eagle, but I left it up,” Hurley said. “Then at 17, I didn’t cut my drive well enough, and though I still had a chance at getting up and down, I couldn’t.”

Hurley bogeyed 17 and so did Smith, to leave the deficit at one shot.

On 18, Hurley went a little too far left on his tee shot, while Smith was set up in a nice spot in the fairway. Smith’s second landed 20 feet short of the flag, just off the green while Hurley was way off and could not save par. Smith’s birdie putt just missed going in by an inch, and he tapped in for the two- stroke win.

Hurley’s final round, 4-over 74 was the best round of the day and was one of only two in the 70s. Chris Whittington had a 79 highlighted by a 25-foot birdie putt at 15 to finish alone in third place at 152 (73-79). John Caldwell was fourth at 153 (71-82).

“It was a tough day for everybody. When it was dry, the course played tough, but when it got wet, it was even tougher,” Hurley said. “Chase, though, came back to us. I was just trying to minimize my mistakes and stay within reach. It became a battle of attrition, but the right guy won.”

Whittington, a 19-year-old Warren Central graduate, said a mistake at No. 9 cost him.

“I just got too far behind. I four-putted at nine,” he said.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com