There was the time Nick Mekus lost the Warren County Championship on the 18th hole. There was the time when he had the first-round lead, snapped his putter after a bad run early in round two, and watched his title chances slide away.

Finally, there was the time when everything did break right for Nick Mekus and he got to walk off the 18th green as the Warren County champion.

Mekus shot an even-par 72 on Sunday to overcome a four-shot deficit and win the County Championship for the first time. It was a relief after a run of bad luck and bad tempers in the past two years that had seen him contend before falling by the wayside.

Mekus had finished as the runner-up in 2014 when he three-putted on the 18th green. He was the leader heading into last year’s final round, but famously broke his putter over his knee on the eighth hole, forcing him to use a wedge for the rest of the day and contributing to a fourth-place finish.

“It feels good,” said Mekus, who was also a two-time MHSAA Class 1A individual champion at St. Aloysius in 2011 and 2012. “I hate that Gabe (Riveros) and Channing (Curtis) had to play like that. I just had to keep it in play, play it solid, and it was good enough in the end. I hit the ball well, drove the ball well, kept it in play and made a bunch of pars. Yesterday I wasn’t really that pumped about even, but in the long run it worked out.”

Mekus wasn’t necessarily great in Sunday’s final round, but he was calm and consistent. That was his greatest asset while, all around him, the other contenders took turns blowing up.

First-round leader Gabriel Riveros watched his lead evaporate in a hurry with three bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine. He threw his ball into the woods after bogeying the 13th hole, then flung his club about 30 yards down the fairway after hitting an errant tee shot on the par-3 14th hole.

Riveros shot a 79 and finished three shots back of Mekus, with a two-day total of 147.

“I think it started on hole four. I hit a really solid 5-iron, but hit it way too good and it flew the green. I ended up doubling that hole, and it really hurt me the rest of the day,” Riveros said. “I was mad (on 13 and 14). I was already mad that I blew the lead, but I was still there. I should have kept more composure because I still had a chance. Bad shots after another hurt me. I was done after that.”

Channing Curtis started Sunday in second place, but bogeyed four straight holes from Nos. 2-5. He had several nice par saves on the back nine to keep it from getting worse, but also gave in to frustration. After hitting a bad shot from behind a tree on the 12th hole — one he wound up making par on — he threw his club to the ground in anger.

Curtis shot 78 in the final round and tied with Riveros for second place. He only hit two greens with a chance to make birdie.

“A decent round of golf and you’re walking out of here with the trophy,” Curtis said. “I got down early. I was four over through five. I came out of the gate blowing up. I didn’t play good.”

The only other golfers within striking distance were Judd Mims and Mark White, who entered the final round two and five shots off the lead, respectively. White withdrew and did not complete his round. Mims triple bogeyed the first hole, added three more bogeys to his scorecard by No. 6, and shot an 82 to fall out of contention.

Mims also engaged in some club abuse. He threw an iron to the ground after shanking a drive on the 15th hole, and flipped aside his driver after another bad tee shot on the 17th.

That left Mekus as the frontrunner — and, ironically after last year’s putter-snapping incident, the only one of the final foursome not to take out his anger on his clubs.

Mekus shot a 72 on Saturday and started the final round four shots behind Riveros, but started Sunday with eight straight pars to quickly make up the difference. Mekus birdied No. 9 while Riveros bogeyed it for a two-shot swing that gave him the lead, and he never gave it back.

Mekus maintained a two or three shot lead through most of the back nine, which allowed him to sidestep trouble late. He bogeyed Nos. 14, 15 and 17, and missed a short eagle putt on 16.

He did birdie the 16th to gain a three-shot lead going to the last two holes and played it safe to maintain the lead.

His second shot on the 18th hole landed just on the front of the green and he twoputted for par.

He got a few celebratory handshakes from his playing partners and friends, and hoisted the championship trophy moments later.

“I was a couple of shots clear. I wasn’t chasing at that point,” Mekus said of his approach on the 18th hole. “I was just trying to get it up there close. I wasn’t even trying to make that birdie. I was just trying to get it down in two.”

Warren County Championship

Championship flight

Nick Mekus 72-72—144

Gabriel Riveros 68-79—147

Channing Curtis 69-78—147

Judd Mims 70-82—152

Hunter Simrall 76-79—155

Javier Torres 77-79—156

Justin Stokes 76-82—158

Doug Lee 77-87—164

Ryan Hoben 76-90—166

Mark White 73-WD—WD