Brett Barry should feel lucky that his wife Jami and young daughters Halle and Sophie missed the first 15 holes of Sunday’s final round of the Forsyth Amateur Championship at Forsyth Country Club.

It had been an ugly round for Barry and Scott Campbell, who came into the final round six shots clear of the field.

But family arrived in time to watch Barry make clutch birdies at 17 and 18 to force a playoff with Scott Campbell at 4-under-par 209 and then birdies on two playoff holes, the four of which allowed him to successfully defend his county title.

Barry, a 34-year-old insurance auditor, shot 74 Sunday. Campbell, a former Greensboro College All-American, shot 75.

Campbell, 8-under after 36 holes, made the turn in 42. Barry, 7-under entering the day, posted 39.

“We missed a lot of short putts,” Barry said. “Neither of us was playing very well.”

It was so ugly that Campbell and Barry found themselves joined at the top of the leaderboard by playing partner Robert Gefaell after 14 holes.

Campbell was on the verge of wrapping up the victory on 17, when he rolled in an uphill, left-to-right 30-footer birdie for birdie to forge ahead of Barry by two strokes. But Barry answered with a 20-footer of his own to stay within one stroke going to 18.

Because 18 is a short par-4, Barry said he knew he had to be within one stroke to have a realistic chance to tie.

“I knew I had to make it,” Barry said.

On the final hole of regulation, Barry made a 10-foot putt to pull into the tie. Campbell, who had a long birdie attempt from the front edge of the green, tapped in for par.

Both players rolled in 10-foot birdie putts at No. 1, the first playoff hole. At No. 2, Campbell’s long uphill birdie putt left him 2 feet for par. Barry finished his string of four birdies with a downhill 15-footer than rolled softly into the cup.

Once I saw it was rolling straight, I knew it was in,” said Barry, who credited the smooth greens for giving him confidence.

“Besides my front nine, everything was good,” said Campbell. “I’ll be back (to play in the tournament).”

Soon after Barry shook hands with Campbell, Halle ran out to congratulate her dad. Soon, Barry had two daughters in his arms. Jami had watched 18 and followed along in the playoff while pushing a covered carriage with the girls.

A former Union (Tennessee) University golfer, Barry said he plays at least once a week at Tanglewood Park.

Despite the disappointing front nine performances, neither Campbell nor Barry had any blow-up holes. But Campbell had six “5s” and Barry had four. Though he had a “6” at No. 5, Gefaell, who shot 34 on the front, created a three-way tie with a birdie at 14. But he lost two shots to his foes with a bogey at 17.

More than 90 players entered the tournament, which has been given a boost the past two years with private clubs Old Town and Forsyth hosting the final round for the top 16 players. The first two rounds were played at Tanglewood Park Championship and Maple Chase Country Club.

Parrish Tire Co. was the presenting sponsor of the tournament.

Tournament director Bobby Hege of the Winston-Salem Parks and Recreation Department said the plan for next year is for Old Town Club to play host to the final round.

Players faced mostly back tees on the 6,793-yard Forsyth course.

FINAL SCORES

Brett Barry 66 69 74 209

Scott Campbell 68 66 75 209

Robert Gefaell 73 68 71 212

Forrest Blevins 72 71 70 213

Troy Blamer 71 71 74 216

David Song 71 71 74 216

Eli Kennedy 73 70 78 217

Ty Keating 73 70 75 218

Ben Nihart 74 72 73 219

Michael Robb 76 69 75 220

Stephen Holt 71 75 75 221

Chris Logan 72 74 75 221

Connor Fulp 78 69 76 223

Nathan Barker 74 75 79 228

Tate Coleman 75 74 82 231

Daniel Koufman 76 73 82 231

Brandon Einstein’s quest at the N.C. Open all came down to an 18-inch-or-so putt on the final hole Thursday at Forsyth Country Club.

“I was a little nervous,” admitted the 25-year-old Tanglewood Park associate pro as he recalled standing over his ball on the 18th green.

Einstein routinely tapped in the putt for 6-under-par 65, capping an easy, nine-stroke victory. With the closing par, Einstein finished a dominating, bogey-free 54-hole performance that sent Carolinas PGA staffers searching through their records to find out when, if ever, that feat was last accomplished in a CPGA event.

Einstein’s quest for a bogey-free tournament supplied all that could be even remotely classified as drama during the final round. Posting 18 birdies, he enjoyed big leads throughout the last two rounds.

For the third straight day, Einstein dissected the 6,793-yard Donald Ross design. Einstein finished at 18-under 195 to claim a runaway triumph. Tyler Lucas of Tega Cay, South Carolina, was second at 204 after shooting 68. Zack Taylor of Myrtle Beach (69) and Matt Fry of West End (70) tied for third at 206.

Einstein didn’t try to do anything different Thursday after opening with 64 and 66 with an approach emphasizing accuracy over distance.

“Fairways and greens,” Einstein said. “Stick to the game plan. “I hit every club I hit the past three days. I played solid golf all week and I got a little luck.”

Einstein made eight birdies in nine tries on the par-5s.

“That’s probably the most impressive three rounds I’ve seen here,” said Forsyth director of golf Chase Adams, who has worked at the club for seven years. Though Adams had predicted a “double-digit” under par score as the target for a winner, “I didn’t see the number he posted out there.”

Cruising through the first two rounds by hitting almost every fairway and green in regulation, Einstein actually had a few brushes with bogeys Thursday, including one on the penultimate hole.

But it was a bogey-free tournament that was at stake. Winning was never in doubt Thursday. Leading by six entering the round, Einstein birdied Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8 to make the turn in 31. He made only one birdie — at the par-5 15th — on the back side.

“It definitely crossed my mind,” Einstein said. “I started missing some greens, hitting some errant shots. I started getting my heart rate up a bit.”

At 17, he drove in the lip of a fairway bunker and his ball rolled back into the sand. He eventually holed an 8-foot par putt.

“I thought I hit the putt too hard and it snuck in the right side,” Einstein said.

Despite the dominating performance, Einstein said he has no desire to make an attempt at a playing career. The former High Point University and N.C. State golfer said he enjoy a six-month journey on mini tours.

“I enjoy what I do (now) too much,” Einstein said.

After an overnight rain of about an inch, the field played “preferred lies” in the fairways.

Luke Lovell of Greer, S.C., had Thursday’s low round of 64 and was part of a four-way tie for fifth at 207.

Top Triad finishers included Tommy Gibson of Mt. Airy at 208; followed by Davis Womble of Winston-Salem at 209; Wake Forest player Kyle Haas at 210; Tanglewood Park associate pro Samuel Uberseder and Gardner-Webb’s Jack Boyer at 211; and Sam Davidson of Asheville and Oak Grove High senior Lincoln Newton at 212.

Adam Fisher of Raleigh dropped from third to the tie for fifth with a double bogey on 18 after his birdie putt rolled off the putting surface. Boyer made 16 birdies and one eagle for the tournament, but also double-bogeyed the final hole.

Pennson Badgett of Pilot Mountain went toe-to-toe with the medalist for nine holes Wednesday at The Olympic Club’s Lakes Course before falling 4 and 3 in the first round of match play at the U.S. Amateur.

Playing Preston Stout of Oklahoma State, who beat him by 11 strokes over 36 holes of stroke play, Badgett won the final two holes on the front nine with birdies to pull even in the match. But Stout won four of the next six holes with birdies to clinch the victory.

Badgett, a rising senior at East Surry High, slipped into the last slot in the 64-player match play bracket in a morning playoff involving 20 players for 17 spots. Badgett has committed to play next year at the University of Tennessee.

Parts of the Badgett’s match were televised live on GolfChannel.