Take 7th annual SCGA Foursomes title (SCGA photo)

The 41-year-old Adams and his 40-year-old partner finished with rounds of 72-70--142, even par in the challenging alternate-shot format over the Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed layout that was buffeted by strong winds for a second consecutive day.

They ran away from Bob Carver of Fullerton and Brian Edick of Valencia, who were tied for the lead heading into the final round but slipped to a 6-over-par 77 today. Their 149 total was a shot ahead of five teams who finished at 149 after the two rounds.  Another shot back was a trio of teams that included defending champions David Bartman of Los Angeles and Robert Funk of Canyon Lake.

“We used the same plan as yesterday and it worked,” said Bittick after securing his first SCGA championship. “The course set up perfectly for us in this alternate-shot format.  If we could hit every green in regulation, John would end up having 12 of the birdie putts, including eight of nine on the back nine. Having a partner who putts as well as John does makes for a huge advantage in this format!”

For Adams, who also secured his first SCGA title, the two windy days harkened back to last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur at Bandon Dunes when both he and Bittick nearly earned medalist honors.

“The greens here [at Rancho San Marcos] were more severe because strong winds are not normal,” noted Adams. “The greens at the Bandon Dunes courses were designed for the wind because it always blows up there.  But essentially our strategy today was similar to what we both used at Bandon Dunes: hit it in the middle of the green and attack when we had a short iron, like a wedge, in our hand for the approach shot.”

Adams and Bittick had two birdies and a bogey on their front nine today and two birdies and two bogies on the back. “Our goal,” both said, “was not to do anything stupid, keep it below the hole on the greens, and don’t make a big number. That’s what we did both days and it worked.”

Today’s finish was especially frustrating for the 23-year-old Edick, because it marked his fifth SCGA championship runner-up plate.  “This is getting old,” he said with a rueful smile later. 

Edick and Carver, his 72-year-old partner who is the reigning (and three-time) SCGA Super Senior Amateur champion, struggled all day with the swirling winds.

“We didn’t hit that many bad shots,” said Edick. "But we made what turned out to be awful decisions, mostly because we weren’t able to judge the wind correctly.”

Carver concurred. “I’m not sure we could have caught them [Adams and Bittick] the way they were playing today,” he said. “They didn’t make any mistakes and we always felt like we were behind the 8-ball, playing from behind.”

--Story courtesy SCGA, full results follow: