Plenty of signs told John Emerson that Sunday was his day during the final round of the Lawrence Amateur Golf Assn. Senior Open at Alvamar Golf Course.

Maybe it was his chip-in birdie on the par-4 No. 6 hole, or maybe it was the eye-popping 35 he carded on the front nine. Either way, Emerson’s two-day score of 150 gave him the Open Championship, winning the tournament’s Championship Flight by six strokes.

“I thought I was playing a little over my head, and I told my playing partners I’d come back down to reality on the back nine, and I had a 40 on the back,” Emerson said. “On the hardest hole on the front, I chipped in for birdie, and that’s usually a bogey hole. After that, I was kind of cruisin’.”

Emerson’s 75 Sunday matched the score he shot in Saturday’s opening round at Eagle Bend. The 35 on the front nine Sunday was the best nine-hole score posted by anyone all weekend in the 27-player field.

Maybe the only thing Emerson took more pride in other than his victory was calling himself a “true golfer,” having walked all 36 holes instead of opting for the electric cart.

“Our threesome walked, when everyone else was riding carts, so we were kind of proud of ourselves,” he joked.

Finishing second in the Championship Flight with a total score of 156 was Scot Buxton, who played in the group ahead of Emerson’s.

“I was putting so poorly that I was thinking it wasn’t going to make any difference what the rest of them were doing,” Buxton said. “Honestly, I was surprised. Had I putted better, I don’t think I would have got John anyway.”

Buxton, who rarely likes to play competitively, said he participated this weekend to add a little stress to the game he loved. Instead, he found out that he was not a big fan of the added pressure.

Jack Schreiner putts during his round of 81 at the Lawrence Amateur Golf Assn. Senior Open. Schreiner placed fourth at the event Sunday at Alvamar.

“You know, I’m worrying about missing shots, and if you’re worrying about it, the net result is that you miss shots,” he said. “We don’t typically get out and play where you putt out every putt, and every shot counts so much.”

Matt Dengler took third in the Championship Flight, scoring a 157.

In the First Flight, Walt Kihm won with a score of 162 and the assistance of a scorecard playoff. Tying with Kihm on the scorecard but taking second place was John Ross, and Steve Grant was third at 166.

In the Second Flight, Norm Slade won with a 175. Jim O’Connell was second, eight strokes back, and Stan Ring was third at 184.

The next LAGA event will be the 2004 Fall Classic two-person best ball Oct. 17 at Eagle Bend. For registration information, go to www.lawrencegolf.org.