The Choo-Choo Invitational trophy ceremony ended in the dining room of Council Fire Golf Club.
Many thanks were passed along to the host course, its club professionals starting with director of golf Hunt Gilliland, the grounds crew headed by superintendent Gary Weller and the clubhouse staff.
Tournament champion Taylor Lewis thanked all of the above as well as his family and friends, including his girlfriend Olivia Gregerson.
Then the celebration started.
"This is the best-looking trophy in town," Lewis said of the blue and white ceramic cup that he earned by shooting 15-under-par 201 over three days to topple a field full of college golfers from across the Southeast as well as Wisconsin, Minnesota and UNLV.
"This is a good feeling," Lewis said. "I'm playing well and I'm loving life."
The celebration with Lewis' family and friends started with him pouring a Coors Light into the cup. Then taking a swig and sharing the blonde booze with anybody who was willing to take a sip from the champion's cup.
"Simply put, this is the biggest tournament that I've ever won, and it's nice," said Lewis, who is one of the best amateur golfers in the Chattanooga area.
"I had a blast. But with the heat, I feel like I've worked on an oil rig for three days," Lewis said. "I look bad. I smell bad. It's been hard work for a little bit of gold."
Lewis, a 30-year-old member at Council Fire, earned an exemption into the annual Southeastern Amateur tournament. And other exemptions may also come his way as he shoots up the World Amateur Golf Rankings, which are produced by the Royal & Ancient.
"This is a nice feeling," Lewis said. "I play here a lot, but I don't get to beat balls and work on my game like these college guys. So winning here, against this field, and shooting 15 under in three days is pretty solid, especially with it being set up for a challenge."
Lewis, one of two men in the field who are not collegiate golfers, won with a 15-under 201. Tyler McDaniel, a University of Kentucky player, finished runner-up at 203.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga captain Wes Gosselin tied for third at 205 with University of Tennessee teammates Michael Nagy and Jack Smith.
"Like Tom Watson who has played a lot of golf, no matter your age, you can still compete."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.