46th NCGA Four-Ball Championship | Spyglass Hill GC | May 11-13, 2012
The NCGA Four-Ball Championship began in 1967 at Spyglass Hill golf course and has been played the Robert Trent Jones layout ever since. The 54-hole competition consists of two-man teams in which both players play their own ball and the lowest score of the two is counted on each hole.
Only three teams have ever won the event more than once, with Tom Culligan III and Dan James (1968/1975), Casey Boyns and Joey Ferrari (1994/1996) and Ryan Sloane and Taylor Travis (2008-2009), the only back-to-back winners.
The lowest one-round score ever posted was 63 by Scott Hardy and Rick Reinsberg in 2005. The lowest 54-hole total of 197 was recorded in 2003 by Todd Barsotti and Jeff Wilson and matched in 2004 by Jason Boyd and Scott Gordon.
In recent years, more than 200 teams have attempted to qualify for the championship which is played annually in early May.
Qualifying Information
ENTRIES CLOSE: March 16, 2012
Qualifying for the 2012 Four-Ball Championship takes place April 9 at the following courses:
Coyote Creek | Lockeford Springs | Metropolitan | Rancho Canada | Riverbend | Rooster Run
Format: 18 holes qualifying four-ball stroke play. 72 teams plus ties, including exempts, advance to the championship. The championship proper will be 54 holes of four-ball stroke play, 18 holes per day. After 36 holes, the field is cut to 40 teams and ties. One partner may represent the team for any part or all of a stipulated round.
Exemptions from qualifying: The top 10 teams and ties from the the preceding year, with the same partner. Both partners must meet eligibility requirements. Each exempt team is required to submit an entry prior to the closing date. Four-Ball Exemptions.
Tournament Recaps
Sometimes in order to win it takes the least amount of mistakes to come away victorious. For Jason Higton and J.R. Becko that’s exactly what they did to rise above the rest of the field and win the 45th Annual NCGA Four-Ball Championship. Read Full 2011 Recap | View 2011 Photo Gallery
Little did Randy Haag and Darryl Donovan know that when they first met at the ‘84 U.S. Amateur their friendship would yield a dynamic four-ball partnership. After claiming the NCGA Four-Ball Championship at Spyglass Hill in a two-hole playoff, their second NCGA title (the first coming in 2000), the duo has now won more than 10 four-ball championships…Read Full 2010 Recap | View 2010 Photo Gallery
The volatile nature of four-ball scoring almost mandates that back-to-back championships don’t occur. Ryan Sloane and Taylor Travis broke the mold, then, in becoming the first repeat winners in the more than 40-year history of the NCGA Four-Ball at Spyglass Hill. One of only two teams to card all three rounds in the 60s, the duo lingered toward the top of the leaderboard all weekend… Read Full 2009 Recap | View 2009 Photo Gallery
Four-ball partnerships generally take several events or even years to develop into winning teams. But NCGA Four-Ball champions Ryan Sloane and Taylor Travis dispelled that theory, winning the 42nd playing of the tournament by four shots at Spyglass Hill in their first championship together…
Read Full 2008 Recap | View 2008 Photo Gallery
For champions Kevin Kobalter and Zack Miller, the tournament represented their final event as four-ball partners. After building a three-stroke lead at 11-under-par after two rounds, the Meadow Club members closed with a one-over-par 73 for a 206 total, holding on for a one-stroke win at treacherous 6,938-yard Spyglass Hill… Read Full 2007 Recap | View 2007 Photo Gallery
Past Champions
| 1967 | Ross Randall and Bob Smith. | 75-69-69—213 |
| 1968 | Tom Culligan III and Dan James | 74-68-72—214 |
| 1969 | Tom Culligan III and Terry Small | 69-70-71—210 |
| 1970 | Artie McNickle and Dennis Braden | 70-69-70—209 |
| 1971 | Doug Nelson and Skip Thompson | 70-69-72—211 |
| 1972 | Bob Enslow and Sandy Galbraith | 70-68-72—210 |
| 1973 | Mike Brannan and Jim Lathum | 69-71-69—209 |
| 1974 | Sandy Gillespie and Gary Conti | 69-69-72—210 |
| 1975 | Tom Culligan III and Dan James | 70-72-70—212 |
| 1976 | Scott Hoyt and Mike Barr | 74-69-71—214 |
| 1977 | Roger Armstrong and Steve Gazzaneo | 64-71-74—209 |
| 1978 | Dana Booth and Mike Chapman | 67-64-73—204 |
| 1979 | Larry Cartmill and Tom Castello | 72-71-69—212 |
| 1980 | David Larson and Matt Bloom | 71-71-71—213 |
| 1981 | Armando Claudio and Joe Tamburino | 71-71-71—213 |
| 1982 | Bill Corbett and John Susko | 70-73-72—215 |
| 1983 | Michael Blewitt and Dan Thurston | 71-74-68—213 |
| 1984 | Guy Bill and Bill Malley | 72-73-69—214 |
| 1985 | Rick Gordon and Bill Paulson | 72-67-73—212 |
| 1986 | Michael Barr and Conrad Nilmeier | 70-74-69—213 |
| 1987 | Bob Blomberg and Randy Haag | 69-72-72—213 |
| 1988 | Tom Culligan and Bob Callan | 73-68-70—211 |
| 1989 | Ken Webb and Jeff Burda | 68-69-70—207 |
| 1990 | Robert Olds and Scott Anderson | 68-70-68—206 |
| 1991 | Mike Lane and Jeff Thomas | 70-69-69—208 |
| 1992 | Tad Buchanan and George Kelley | 73-65-71—209 |
| 1993 | Bob Blomberg and Randy Haag | 68-68-68—204 |
| 1994 | Casey Boyns and Joey Ferrari | 69-67-67—203 |
| 1995 | Joel Kribel and Andy Barnes | 69-72-67—208 |
| 1996 | Casey Boyns and Joey Ferrari | 69-70-70—209 |
| 1997 | Cliff Davis and Eddie Davis | 70-71-68—209 |
| 1998 | Brady Stockton and Matt Larson | 68-71-68—207 |
| 1999 | Scott Watson and Ray Otis | 71-69-70—210 |
| 2000 | Darryl Donovan and Randy Haag | 66-66-71—203 |
| 2001 | Robert Hamilton and Phil Cuthbertson | 69-64-67—200 |
| 2002 | Phillip Huff and Rob Martin | 67-69-69—205 |
| 2003 | Todd Barsotti and Jeff Wilson | 66-66-65—197 |
| 2004 | Jason Boyd and Scott Gordon | 67-64-66—197 |
| 2005 | Scott Hardy and Rick Reinsberg | 68-63-68—199 |
| 2006 | Cliff Smith and Jamie Looper | 70-71-66—207 |
| 2007 | Kevin Kobalter and Zack Miller | 67-66-73—206 |
| 2008 | Taylor Travis and Ryan Sloane | 65-66-69—200 |
| 2009 | Taylor Travis and Ryan Sloane | 67-69-66—202 |
| 2010 | Darryl Donovan and Randy Haag | 69-66-79—204 |
| 2011 | Jason Higton and J.R. Becko | 68-68-69–205 |
About Spyglass Hill
Spyglass Hill No. 14
Ranked number five on “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” list by Golf Digest for 2003-2004.
Spyglass Hill was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., as a part of the master plan for the Pebble Beach ocean front between Cypress Point and Pebble Beach. Opened in 1966, the design features two distinctly different kinds of terrain that influence the way the holes look and play. The first five holes roll through sandy seaside dunes challenging the golfer to carefully pick the safest path. The following 13 holes are cut through pine trees with elevated greens and strategically placed bunkers and lakes to grab the errant shot.
Spyglass Hill is rated one of the toughest courses in the world from the Championship tees, boasting a course rating of 75.5 and a slope rating of 147. The PGA Tour consistently lists Spyglass Hill’s holes 6, 8 and 16 among the toughest on the tour, and during the 1999 United States Amateur, the stroke average of the field during medal play was in excess of 79.