Robert Funk and David Bartman look to defend Foursomes title

Robert Funk of Canyon Lake and David Bartman of Los Angeles will pair up once again, seeking to defend their SCGA Foursomes title and win their second consecutive Foursomes championship on March 13-14 at Rancho San Marcos in Santa Barbara.

Bartman, who is coming off his first SCGA individual title with his win at the SCGA Tournament of Club Champions in December at Classic Club, and Funk, who at three off the lead secured third place in the event, won last year's championship at El Niguel CC in a three-hole aggregate playoff against brothers Jon and Scott McGihon. Bartman-Funk tied for second at the 2007 SCGA Four-Ball Championship, a title they took the year before.

The duo will be joined by a number of past SCGA champions in the alternate-shot format, including:

• Rich Tolly (with partner Chip Bridges), the 2007 SCGA Senior Amateur Champion and half of the winning 2007 SCGA Senior Four-Ball Championship team;

• Patrick Duncan (with son Patrick Duncan, Jr.), 1990 SCGA Amateur, 1998 SCGA Mid-Amateur, 1995 and 1997 Four-Ball Champion (with Mark Johnson) and 1999 SCGA Tournament of Club Champions winner;

• Kemp Richardson (with partner James Meyer), two-time USGA Senior Amateur and 2001 British Senior Open champion;

• The team of John Pate and Kevin Marsh. Pate won the 1999 SCGA Amateur, 2000 SCGA Mid-Amateur, the 2004 and 2005 SCGA Foursomes (with Tim Hogarth) and the 2001 and 2005 SCGA Tournament of Club Champions, while Marsh is the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and a 2006 Masters participant.

In addition, SCGA Board member Kevin Smith of Los Angeles will tee it up with Valencia's Brian Edick, a three-time runner-up in the SCGA Amateur Championship.

Tee times for the championship begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 13 at Rancho San Marcos off of the first and 10th tees, and at 8 a.m. on Friday. Stories and photo galleries will be available after each round.