FRANKLIN TWP — He knows the golf course and knew what he had to do.

That combination proved to be enough as the Grove City High School and Butler County Community College graduate carded a 3-under-par 69 Sunday in repeating as champion of the Butler Eagle County Amateur at Lake Arthur Golf Club.

Loughry — who won last year’s Eagle Amateur at Hiland — was the only one in the 177-golfer field to shoot under par. Pat Preston, the Senior division champion, shot an even-par 72 in the morning round, as did Jeremy Enslen in the afternoon round.

Loughry played in the afternoon group.

“People talk ... I knew what the situation was going into my round,” Loughry said. “This is our home course for BC3, so I’ve played here a lot. I know the course very well.

“I know how it plays and how to attack it. All I have to do when I play here is adjust to the course conditions that day.”

Loughry will play golf at Point Park University this fall. He showed he knows how to close out a victory on Sunday as well.

The afternoon’s shotgun start had Loughry teeing off on No. 14. He birdied the No. 10 and 11 holes to go 3-under for the day, then parred 12 and 13 to finish the round.

“That No. 13 hole is a par-3 into the wind,” Loughry said. “That’s a tough hole to have to finish on. I got off a good drive, then was able to put (the ball) up and in for the par. Believe me, I was very happy about that.”

Loughry becomes the third golfer in the 29-year history of the Eagle Amateur to win the event in consecutive years, joining Sean Knapp and Geoff Patterson. The latter won the event the last time it was held at Lake Arthur. Patterson carded a 74 on Sunday.

Preston, a basketball coach at Karns City, has played in the Eagle Amateur for years and has never won it. Despite leading after the morning round, he wasn’t confident the even-par would hold up.

“I’ve finished among the top five a few times in this event,” Preston said after his morning round. “I think someone’s gonna go under par in the afternoon. The course is drying out a little bit.

“(Lake Arthur general manager) Scott Vice and his crew did a great job getting this course ready. It is in excellent shape. It’s just playing longer because of all the rain we had.”

Vice said four inches of rain fell on the course in the three days leading up to the Eagle Amateur, including two inches on Saturday night.

“We’ve just had two big events here and I had our crew out here at 5 this morning getting things ready,” Vice said. “I probably worked 60 hours over the past three or four days, but it’s worth it. This is a big event.”

Preston birdied three of Lake Arthur’s four par-5 holes Sunday.

“That’s rare for me because I’m not a long hitter,” he said. “I’m very happy with the way I played today.”

Chloe Fritch, an incoming junior at Karns City, shot an 81 to win the women’s portion of the tournament. It was only her second appearance in the Eahle Amateur.

It was also just the second time she played at Lake Arthur.

“My mother came out here with me Thursday and I played a practice round,” Fritch said. “I’m a member at Slippery Rock (Golf Club), but I had never played here. I wanted to get a feel for the course.

“I shot an 82 that day and an 81 today, so I was pretty consistent.”

Also a basketball player, Fritch was never coached in that sport by Preston at Karns City. He has helped her golf game, however.

“I’ve gone on the course with him a few times and he gives me tips,” she said. “He knows how to calm me down. The mental game is such a big part of golf and that’s what I’m working on right now.”

Jon Holtz, Director of Athletic Communications at Slippery Rock University, won the 1st Flight. Christian McLafferty won the 2nd Flight with a 76 and Brett Loughry claimed the 3rd Flight with an 88.

“I’ve been playing my best golf late this summer,” Holtz said. “This was one of the best two or three rounds I’ve played all year. I try to play as much as I can during this three-month (summer) window, because once our teams start up, I don’t have much time to play.”

Eagle Amateur Committee member Rob Voltz lauded Vice and his staff for overcoming the rains and providing the field with a quality golf course Sunday.

“I know how long and hard they had to work to get the course in this kind of shape. I’m very pleased,” Voltz said. “This is the largest field we’ve had since I took over running the event. The weather was perfect. The course played long and challenging.”

And Troy Loughry proved up to that challenge.