MOULTRIE – On Thursday, the day before the start of the 52nd Pot o’ Gold Pro-Am at Sunset Country Club, longtime tournament director Max Hancock said with the expected good weather and a strong field, some records could be broken.

And two were, including one that had stood for three decades.

Stephen Keppler led his foursome to the team championship, giving the Marietta Country Club golf professional his ninth overall Pot o’ Gold title. He had previously held the tournament record of eight titles with Bob Duvall.

And while Keppler’s title might not have been too much of surprise, the other record that fell on Sunday’s final round certainly was.

Lakewood County Club’s Fred Holton took the low professional title with a three-day score of 199, breaking the previous three-day Pot o’ Gold tournament record by three strokes.

The previous record of 202 was first set in 1976 by Palmetto’s Emory Lee and tied by Sunset’s Bob Windom, who was playing as an amateur, in 1982. Ironically, Holton and Windom were college teammates at Columbus State in the early 1980s.

Holton turned in rounds of 69, 64 and 66 and finished 12 shot ahead of Chicopee Woods’ Greg Lee, who was second with a 211.

His 64 on Saturday was the tournament’s low round. His 66 was the best score turned in on Sunday.

Keppler’s foursome fired a 60 on Sunday for a three-day 185 to earn a first-place tie with the Chattahoochee Country Club team led by Don Williams Jr.

According to a Pot o’ Gold provision approved last year, in case of a tie, the team with the lowest score in the final round will be declared the winner.

Williams’ team shot a 62 on Sunday to also finish at 185.

Keppler’s team got off to an outstanding start on Sunday, getting birdies on 3 and 4. And amateur Hap Fleming carried the team all afternoon with five birdies and an eagle. Fleming finished with a 69 on Sunday. He shot even par over the three days of the tournament, turning in a 216.

“Hap played great,” Keppler said. “But everybody contributed. Everything just clicked today.”

Larry Clark shot a 72 on Sunday and had a 71 each of the first two days for a 2-under 214. The third member of the team is Randy Donahoo.

Keppler has won seven low pro titles and now two team championships in the Pot o’ Gold dating back to 1993. He said he enjoys playing at Sunset Country Club and praised the condition of the course.

“You first look at it and you think, I can kill this course,” Keppler said. “But this course is no pushover.

“You’ve got to work the ball, keep it in play.”

Windom led his Sunset Country Club A team to a 188, three shots back of the winners. On Sunday, Windom shot a 73 to finish 2-over at 218. His three amateurs played well, with Brad Eunice and Jon Ladson each turning a 3-under 69 and Chad Eunice carding a 72.

The Eunice brothers each finished the tournament with a 216. Ladson had a 218.

U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Dave Womack tuned up for next month’s appearance in The Masters by shooting a 68-67-69 for a 204 that won the low amateur title by four shots over David Noll.

Womack was playing with the defending Pot o’ Gold champion Eagle’s Landing team led by professional Allen Thompson, which finished at 189. Womack was the low amateur runner-up at the 2006 Pot o’ Gold.

Former Colquitt County golfer Harris English, who will play at the University of Georgia next season, shot a 74-68-67 for a 209 to finish third, five shots back of Womack. English was playing for Bill Connally’s Glen Arven foursome, which finished tied for second with the Kinderlou Forest team led by Chris Dixon. Each shot a 186, just one shot back.

Windom’s No. 2 team was 8-under on Sunday and finished at 195. Kevin Blanton had a 70 on Sunday and finished 2-over at 218. Pax Clark had a 74 and Ernie Venet a 76 on Sunday.

Andy Blanton, representing the Country Club of Columbus and playing the Pot o’ Gold as a professional for the first time, had a 68 in Sunday and finished at 217. His Columbus foursome finished at 190, just five shot behind the winners.

The low senior was Ed Everett from Doublegate Country Club in Albany. Everett had a 68-76-72 for a 216.