Jason Bittick and Harry Rudolph<br>2010 SCGA Four-Ball Champions
Two-time defending champions George Downing and Kevin Marsh looked poised for the event’s first ever three-peat
RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif (Nov. 9, 2010) -- After a blistering 62 in the first round of the 2010 SCGA Four-Ball Championship, two-time defending champions George Downing and Kevin Marsh looked poised for the event’s first ever three-peat. Marsh carded a 65 on his own ball that day, while partner Downing did his part as well with a 69. As teams turned in their scorecards after day one, you could feel a sense of deflation as though the tournament was already over. Head Professional at The Farms, Don Sandberg, was even shocked at the leader board and asked, “How many holes did those guys play!” And so day one ended – the champs up by three, but several heavy hitters were still in the mix a few shots back.
After a light rain on Monday morning, Tuesday proved to be the San Diego weather that everyone came to enjoy. The course was in prime condition and after the greens had dried out, course superintendent, Troy Mullane, reported a stimp meter reading of 12. Despite the ideal conditions, the course setup and hole locations were arguably more difficult, and the average score rose by nearly one stroke on this final round.
Downing and Marsh didn’t get off to the start they had hoped for. Downing’s approach shot on one plugged just outside the greenside bunker, leaving an awkward chip shot which led to a bogey. When Marsh’s six-foot putt for par did a 180 degree lip-out, it marked the team’s first bogey of the championship.
“Days like this can happen when no one in the entire group can get anything going. Unfortunately you just start to feed off that,” said Downing at the turn. While they turned at one-under par for the second round, fellow competitors Bucky Coe and Spencer Thurn turned at one-over par…it was now anyone’s game.
In the meantime, Jason Bittick and Harry Rudolph made the turn at four-under par, putting them in a tie with Downing and Marsh at 11-under par for the tournament. David Bartman and Robert Funk made the turn at three-under par, which left them just one stroke behind the leaders.
“I figured we would need to shoot 64 today, and on top of that, get some help from Downing and Marsh,” said Bittick. Well, the stage was set.
Like any championship event, the tournament usually starts on the back nine of the final round. While Bartman and Funk had to settle for a bogey-5 at the difficult 10th, Bittick and Rudolph made birdie, igniting a back nine that would prove to be impossible for any other team to match.
Rudolph later admitted, “After we found out we were tied at the turn, and once we were able to make birdie at 10 and 11, we knew we were in contention to win the tournament.”
Bittick and Rudolph are two of the SCGA’s longest hitters, which is often the perfect recipe for a successful Four-Ball team. However, it was perhaps the duo’s strategy that won them the tournament. “This was the first time that I wasn’t the one hitting last,” said Bittick. “I hit a lot of three-woods and rescue clubs off the tee and did a nice job keeping the ball in play.” This allowed Rudolph to be the aggressor on the challenging layout at The Farms.
While this is the first time Bittick and Rudolph have teamed up in an SCGA event, their history competing against each other in a four-ball format goes back 25 years. In 1985, Bittick and Bob May (the best in the OC) competed against Rudolph and Phil Mickelson (the best in San Diego) in the Hogan Cup. After all those years, the two were finally able to share the podium and enjoy their victory at The Farms. “Golf is just for fun now,” said Bittick. “To be able to call up Harry and go play together – and win – is really great.”
“Winning is everything, and to do it by knocking off the defending champions makes it even sweeter,” said Rudolph. “This was a good end to a good year.”
About the SCGA Four-Ball
This event is open to members with handicap indexes of 6.4 and below. Players will compete over 18 holes of qualifying four-ball stroke play to determine the 52 teams which advance to the championship. The Championship is conducted over 36 holes of s...
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