Covington’s Tommy Brennan, 47, continued his winning ways Sunday taking his fourth consecutive Louisiana Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship, holding off Robby McWilliams of Bossier City by two shots at Ellendale Country Club in Houma. It was Brennan’s seventh overall Mid-Amateur title. Brennan, a member of Tchefuncta Country Club in Covington, described the course as very challenging. “It’s a 7,000-yard golf course, which is pretty tight with a premium on the driver. That type of course suits my game. We had a little rain on the golf course so that slowed things down a little bit,” Brennan said.

Brennan posted a 5-under par 67 in Saturday’s second round, which was actually finished up on Sunday morning to take a two-shot lead into Sunday’s final round. In the final round, Brennan played consistent golf on the front nine, making eight pars to go with a birdie on the par-five seventh. McWilliams, playing one group ahead of Brennan, tamed the front nine in two-under par fashion, cutting Brennan’s lead to just one shot. McWilliams had to settle for a bogey on No. 10 to fall another shot behind as Brennan sank a 10-footer for par on No. 10, the first of a number of par saves on the back nine. Brennan carded a birdie on the par-5 11th giving him another stroke cushion, heading into the difficult stretch of the 438-yard par-4 12th, 200-yard par-3 13th, and 400-yard par-4 14th.

When Brennan was asked why he thinks he does so well in the Mid-Amateur Championship, his reply, “I don’t have a clue. I really don’t have an answer. I don’t play in tournaments unless I am able to give it my 100 percent best effort. If I have a business issue or a family issue then I don’t play,” Brennan said.

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“Winning my fourth in a row was pretty unbelievable. We had a weather delay. I was supposed to start the tournament Friday afternoon but I never teed off. We played 18 holes Saturday morning, and the other half of the field that played Friday morning went out Saturday afternoon. I didn’t tee off for my second round until Saturday afternoon at 5:30.

Brennan completed 11 holes in Saturday’s second round before darkness set in. He picked it up Sunday morning, finishing up the remaining seven holes of the second round.

Brennan said he went back out and played the third and final round beginning at about noon on Sunday.

“I drove the ball beautifully during the tournament. I putted very poorly for about the first 22 holes of the tournament. I made a great putt from about 15 feet breaking left to right on the fourth hole of my second round, which kind of woke my putter up. Sinking that putt kind of got me into a feeling of great confidence. I just ended up putting great the rest of the tournament,” Brennan added.

Brennan said he birdied the next hole and also birdied the 10th hole so he went from being one over par to six holes later being three under.

“My putter really saved me after hitting some marginal shots on 13, 14 and 15. My putter really bailed me out on those holes.”

Brennan said the two most important clubs in the bag are the driver and the putter. “I drove the ball great and picked up my putting the last 30 holes of the tournament.”

In Sunday’s final round, McWilliams limped in with a bogey on No. 13, while Brennan recorded a par giving the eventual champion a four-stroke lead with just five holes to play. Brennan put together five straight pars on the final holes, which was enough to offset McWilliams’s birdies on Nos. 14 and 16, giving Brennan his final two-stroke win and fourth consecutive championship. Brennan shot 2-under par 70 on Sunday to finish at 7-under par 209, while McWilliams ended with a five-under 211 after also firing a 70 on Sunday. Brennan and McWilliams have hooked up in competitive personal battles for the title over the last four years, with Brennan taking each event. McWilliams finished as runner-up in 2005, 2007 and 2008.

“There is a part of me that feels bad for what Robby (McWilliams) feels like finishing second. I have finished second in the State-Amateur five times and I have never won. Robby and I are good friends. He and I along with Robby Going from Lake Charles represented Louisiana last year in the United States Golf Association National Team Championship in Houston. I think we finished like 14th,” Brennan added.

In the Mid-Amateur Championship John Davis and Robert Shelton of Lafayette finished tied for third at three-under 213 four strokes back, with Going and George Cestia of Lake Charles sharing fifth place at two-under par 214. Rounding out the top 10 were Lake Charles’ Bo Stewart, who took seventh one-under par 215. Chris Wilson and Rod Baronet were both tied for eighth even par 216. Jeff Calloway rounded out the top 10 shooting one over par 217.

Some local golfers who also participated in the Mid-Amateur Championship included Money Hill’s Eric Ankersen, who was tied for 14th place at three over par 219. Beau Chene Country Club’s Jay Coxe finished tied for 27th eight over par 224 and Tchefuncta Country Club’s Mason Rudolph Jr., who was tied for 52nd 15 over 231.

Fresh off of his victory on Sunday, Brennan continued his consistent play Monday, qualifying along with Grady Brame of Hammond for the USGA Mid-Amateur Championship to be held at Milwaukee Country Club September 6-11. Brennan carded a two-under par 70 to capture medalist honors at the Ellendale Country Club in Houma, the site of Sunday’s victory. Brame came in with a one-over par 73 to edge out Luis Felipe Del Solar of St. Francisville and Sean Hollis of New Orleans by one shot. Del Solar won a playoff with Hollis to become the first alternate.

Brennan, originally from New Orleans, moved to the Northshore 16 years ago. He fashioned his career low round of 62 at the New Orleans Country Club in December 1991. He began playing golf competitively at age 13, and graduated from De La Salle High School. He graduated from the University of Alabama and was a member of the Crimson Tide golf team.