McCLELLAN — Jaylon Ellison has done a lot of winning through the years, but there was always one prize close to home that had eluded his grasp.

You can check that one off the list now.

Ellison claimed his first Calhoun County Championship title on Sunday at Cane Creek Golf Course.

He shot a final round 1-over-par 73 to finish at 5-under 211 for the championship, one shot ahead of defending champion Garrett Burgess. The 211 total matched Burgess' score of a year ago, tying for the second lowest winning score in the event since it moved to Cane Creek.

Jeremy McGatha finished third, three shots off the pace, but finished high enough to clinch the season-long Best of the Best Series points standings and Calhoun County Player of the Year honors.

"The County is a scratch I wanted on my belt," Ellison said.

"It's a good one. It's got a lot of tradition. A lot of great players have won the County, and I'm just proud to know that my name is right there with them now."

During his career, Ellison has won invitationals at Anniston Country Club, Centre, Elba, Rome, Ga., and an earlier Best of the Best Series event at Pine Hill Country Club. And don't forget three Sunny King Charity Classic titles with McGatha.

But he had been missing Calhoun County Championship and Gadsden Invitational.

"(Sunday) was a big piece that I added to my resume," Ellison said. "I'm proud of it. It means a lot to win the County."

The 31-year-old financial consultant wasn't as flawless as he was the day before — when he hit all 18 greens and 14 fairways in posting a 66 — but he didn't make many mistakes in claiming his second consecutive Best of the Best Series victory and third all-time.

He carried a two-shot lead into the round and extended it to three by the turn. His cushion swelled to four after a birdie on the par-5 14th. It was then, he said, that he allowed himself to think about the possibility of winning the Player of the Year award.

He could have pulled it off by winning the tournament and watching McGatha finish in a tie for third or worse. Instead, McGatha finished high enough to claim the title by 17.5 points.

"Hats off to Jeremy," Ellison said. "Anybody in this series who finishes third or better (in every tournament) deserves the Player of the Year."

But Ellison came back to the field with bogeys at 16 and 17. That opened the door for Burgess to make a move on the lead.

The Jacksonville State senior missed a regrettable four-foot birdie putt on the par-3 12th and hit two shots in the trees on 16 that led to a bogey, but charged back with birdies on each of the last two holes to cap a 1-under 71 that left him one shot short.

"If it came down to (McGatha) winning (Player of the Year) and he and I bugging out for third and fourth, I was going to lay down because I wanted him to win it. He deserved Player of the Year," Garrett said. "When I birdied 17, I wasn't holding anything back."

After the round, Burgess said this would be his final Calhoun County Championship. He intends to turn professional at the completion of the upcoming college season, testing the waters on the mini-tours at first before entering the PGA Qualifying Tournament, commonly known as Q-school.