SALEM — During the course of a tournament, any number of thoughts can run through a golfer’s head — swing keys, strategy or sometimes simply where the next hole is to get a drink of water.

But if you’re Bob Capoun, none of those are of immediate concern. And maybe that’s why the 52-year-old has been able to win the last three Senior Men’s County Opens.

Capoun pulled off his three-peat Thursday at Spring Valley Country Club, the same site of his 1978 Men’s County Open playoff victory over Mike Smolinski.

Starting the day with a one-shot advantage over Smolinski, Rick Stettner and Mark Kuyawa, Capoun shot a 1-over par 71 (37-34) to finish at 3-over 143 and beat Stettner (71) by one, Smolinski (73) by three and Kuyawa (74) by four.

Capoun’s 36-hole total wasn’t as impressive as his previous two victories — 4-under 136 last year and 1-under 139 in 2007 — but it was even more satisfying.

“A win’s a win. This one, definitely,” is the most special, he said. “It’s the hardest. I haven’t been playing good all summer.”

There’s a possible reason for that. With a few exceptions, Capoun has awakened every morning at about 4:30 to get his boat and go fishing in the harbor at Lake Michigan. He then heads to work about 8 or 8:30 at his family’s Capoun Golf Range on the corner of Washington Road and Green Bay Road.

So even after Capoun made a 40-foot birdie putt on the 145-yard, par-3 11th while Stettner double-bogeyed it to give Capoun the lead for good, he didn’t start thinking about what it would be like to hold the winner’s trophy again.

“I don’t get overly excited about stuff like that. I don’t think like that, like, ‘Oh, I’m going to get the lead,’ ” he said.

“I’m not thinking about that at all. Actually, I was thinking about perch fishing in the morning. I can’t wait to get back out there. I’ve missed maybe less than five days all summer. That’s fun.”

Capoun, who also won the Men’s County Open in 1981, was able to put off thoughts of a fish fry just long enough to make a right-to-left 4-footer for bogey on No. 18 to avoid a playoff with Stettner.

“I knew what it was worth. We play for a few nickels out here and when the money’s on the line you’ve just got to let it roll,” Capoun said. “That’s what I tried to do — keep my head still, keep my eyes still and just hit it in the back of the hole.”

Capoun also made clutch par saves from in front of the green on Nos. 16 and 17.

Meanwhile, Stettner, 55, playing in only his second Senior Men’s County Open, couldn’t get a putt to drop on the back nine, except for when he hit a 5-wood to 6 feet to eagle the 474-yard, par-5 12th to pull within one of Capoun.

Stettner made three birdies en route to a 1-under 34 and a one-shot lead over Smolinski and two-shot advantage on Capoun at the turn, but he missed birdie putts inside 13 feet on Nos. 13, 14, 15 and 17 and a 22-footer just slid by on the left side on No. 18.

However, he was still pleased with his finish.

“I’m very happy with how it went, very happy,” Stettner said. “I just have to get my birdie putts a little lower than what they were.

“I gave (Capoun) a challenge. He expected Mark (Kuyawa) to come out after him, and then he was surprised that it ended up being me and so was I.”

Smolinski, 70, who in addition to his record seven Men’s County Open titles has also won a record six Senior Opens since the tournament began in 1997, made two birdies, including a 60-footer on the par-3 third, and two bogeys in shooting an even-par 35 on the front.

He fell out of contention with three consecutive bogeys to start the back nine, the last set up by a badly pulled second shot with a hybrid on No. 12.

“I was hitting the ball decent the front nine, but I hit it just horrible the back nine,” Smolinski said. “These guys are younger, stronger, longer, better looking so I did pretty well.

“I’m disappointed, obviously. I’d like to have that second shot over on No. 12. ... That was a big shot. But I couldn’t hit the ball well enough to win.

“They played very well, but I didn’t put any pressure on them on the back because I hit so many poor irons. But it’s still awfully fun to compete.”

Kuyawa (38-36) and Mike Vernezze (72) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at 147 and 149. Vernezze, 60, still won the 60-and-over division and Smolinski won the 70-and-over division.

Charlie Hawkins, 88, finished sixth overall at 151. He easily shot below his age for the second consecutive round, following up a 76 Wednesday with a 75. Golfers 80-and-older were allowed to play from the forward tees, a new rule put in this year.

Capoun, meanwhile, will have plenty of time to fish before he goes for victory No. 4 in a row next year.

“I’ve got to catch (Smolinski),” he said with a smile. “We’ll still be going at it for a long time.”