Champions David Bartman (l) and Robert Funk
BANDON, OREGON (April 26, 2006) -- Greg Norman lost a six stroke overnight
lead at the Masters in one of the most famous final round meltdowns in recent
golf history. But that wasn't about to happen to Robert Funk and David Bartman
at the Two Man Links Championship. Their lead wasn't 6, it was a whopping 11
strokes at the 72-hole best-ball tournament's 54 hole mark.
And Norman didn't have a tournament-tough partner to cover his back like Funk and Bartman did.
The tournament venue -- a variety-packed three course rotation at the Bandon
Dunes Resort played over four days -- went Pacific Dunes - Bandon Trails -
Pacific Dunes - Bandon Dunes. These aren't easy courses, and despite the overwhelming
margin of victory, plenty of quality golf was played by everyone in the field
over the course of four rounds (and we know that the best birdie wasn't made
by the winners - that honor would go to "tough guy" Norm Boucher, who was hit
in the neck by a ball on the 15th tee on Tuesday and responded by getting off
the ground and making birdie).
Chris Brauner, of Austin, Texas and his partner Trey Owen,
from Houston, shot a remarkable 2-under-par 69 in a full-on test of golf
at Bandon Trails in the second round to stand at 5-under-par and just two strokes
behind pre-tournament favorites Funk and Bartman at the tournament's halfway
point. Both players have national tournament experience, and, along with top-drawer
amateurs Mark Lindberg and Bob Neal (another Texas team), were ready for "moving
day."
Shoot 10-under-par for 18 holes, however, as Bartman and Funk did in Tuesday's
third round, and you're going to see your position on the leaderboard shoot
up like Google's share price. If you're already at the top of the leaderboard
at the beginning of the day, as they were, and there is only one round left,
it's ball game.
Brauner summed it up after getting a first hand look at Funk and Bartman shooting
a jaw-dropping 10-under-par 61 at Pacific Dunes on Saturday in the third round,
"They won the tournament today, no question about it."
Bartman, a reinstated amateur who won the 2006 Trans-Miss Amateur at Prairie
Dunes, and Funk, who recently shot even par over three rounds to capture the
Southern California Mid Amateur, shot their best-ever four ball round on a relatively
mild weather-day by pouring in 8 birdies and an eagle. Funk lit it up early,
recording 5 birdies in the first 11 holes, then an adrenaline-pumping eagle
on No. 12. Not wanting to hear about it in the clubhouse after the round, Bartman poured in a few of his own on the way home. And to close the round in style, Funk appropriately
finished it out with a deft links-style bump and run up and down on Pacific
Dunes' fantastic 18th hole, a rolling par 5 with some of the best bunkering
and mounding anywhere.
At Bandon Dunes in the final round, Bartman and Funk settled down a bit, but
their 3-under-par 69 got them to a tournament record 20-under-par total for
72 holes; likely to remain in place for a while.
Southern Californians Bobby Forster and Stephen Friend captured the Senior
Division in a spirited competition that saw Texans George Adams and Richard
Baker whittle away at a 5-stroke lead on the back nine in the final round
to get within two strokes; Phil Ekdahl and Mike Hansen were wire-to-wire victors
in the Net Division as their first round of 11-under-par 60 set the pace for
a 18-under par tournament total. Michael Retter and Ted Geddis made a late
charge (they made up 10 strokes on the champions after spotting them 12 strokes
in round one) to get within two.
* * *
Tournament Notes:
Special thanks to sponsors UST Golf Shaft, Bridgestone Golf and Fidra Golf
for providing a wonderful set of tee prizes that included a dozen Bridgestone
B330 Tour golf balls, a beautiful Fidra "Full Proof" jacket, and the utility
or fairway club of each player's choice with a UST shaft and a
Lamkin grip (provided courtesy of Lamkin Grips). Delivery of the clubs will
be in the next 30-60 days, and amateurgolf.com will email you as soon as we
have shipping information.We also appreciate the support of The Golfer Magazine
in helping us extend the reach of this event.
Another note of thanks to amateurgolf.com staff members Liz McQueen, Art Law,
and Casey Courtright, for running the Two Man Links Championship like a Tour
event with wonderful signage, scorecards, first tee announcements, conditions
of competition, and more. Working hard and smiling are great combinations!
We also appreciate the support of Bandon Dunes' entire staff and especially
Jamie Fay, our group coordinator, and Steven Borror, PGA, who provided us
with the wonderful calligraphy scoreboards and rulings during the week. It
has been fun to watch Bandon Dunes grow into a world-class operation over the
five years we have been hosting an event there.
Next year's tournament is April 21-25, 2007. Many of you asked if we will give
priority to this year's players since we expect another sellout. The answer
is yes, in the next 30 days we will email you with a chance to signup with
a financial incentive to lock in now.
With the increase in the quality and size of the field and number of states
and countries represented has come increased attention and we are very appreciative
of Jaime Diaz and J.D. Cuban of Golf World and Golf Digest for making the trip
to Oregon to cover the event and the growth of amateurgolf.com. We'll let you
know when a story hits the press!
Photos are now available, thanks to Bandon Dunes Resort's official photographer
Wood Sabold. You can view photos at:
www.bandondunes2manlinks.com/gallery.html (click
the appropriate link for 2006). Note: Prints large enough to grace your wall
can be ordered directly from Mr. Sabold, who can be reached at photowood@verizon.net.
* * *
Final results from the amateurgolf.com Two Man Links Championship, played April
23-26 are listed below.
Round 1: Pacific Dunes
Championship Division: Par 71, 6633 yards, 72.6/138; Net and Senior: Par 71,
6142 yards, 70.3/134
Round 2: Bandon Trails
Championship Division: Par 71, 6765 yards, 73.4/130; Net and Senior: Par 71,
6260 yards, 70.9/135
Round 3: Pacific Dunes
Championship Division: Par 71, 6633 yards, 72.6/138; Net and Senior: Par 71,
6142 yards, 70.3/134
Round 4: Bandon Dunes
Championship Division: Par 72, 6732 yards, 73.9/142; Net and Senior: Par 72,
6221 yards, 71.1/133
Championship |
R1 |
R2 |
R3 |
R4 |
Tot |
+/- |
Pos |
Prize |
David Bartman / Robert Funk |
65 |
70 |
61 |
69 |
265 |
-20 |
1st |
400 ea |
Mark Lindberg / Bob Neal |
67 |
72 |
69 |
70 |
278 |
-7 |
2nd |
300 ea |
Chris Brauner / Trey Owen |
68 |
69 |
70 |
74 |
281 |
-4 |
3rd |
200 ea |
Jay Audia / Brad Mombert |
71 |
72 |
67 |
72 |
282 |
-3 |
4th |
150 ea |
Jim Quinn / Ed Turner |
68 |
78 |
68 |
71 |
285 |
-0- |
5th |
100 ea |
Gregg Hemphill / Michael Ross |
70 |
73 |
73 |
71 |
287 |
|
|
|
Peter Davison / Greg Wardle |
71 |
76 |
68 |
72 |
287 |
|
|
|
Doug Clapp / Daniel Russo |
70 |
73 |
72 |
72 |
287 |
|
|
|
Mike Moxie / David Walker |
69 |
77 |
69 |
73 |
288 |
|
|
|
Frank Dall / Sherman Haggerty |
73 |
77 |
66 |
73 |
289 |
|
|
|
Scott Hurley / Brian Johnson |
70 |
75 |
70 |
75 |
290 |
|
|
|
Erik Hallgrimson / Pete Wlodkowski |
71 |
81 |
71 |
68 |
291 |
|
|
|
Brad Kropp / Bill Roberts |
73 |
76 |
71 |
75 |
295 |
|
|
|
Brad Christianson / Craig Christianson |
78 |
80 |
67 |
74 |
299 |
|
|
|
Dave Cannon / Jamie Rector |
75 |
80 |
72 |
75 |
302 |
|
|
|
Skip Pankewich / Randy Stuart |
75 |
78 |
77 |
79 |
309 |
|
|
|
|
Senior (each player 50+) |
R1 |
R2 |
R3 |
R4 |
Tot |
+/- |
Pos |
Prize |
Bob Forster / Stephen Friend |
66 |
72 |
71 |
74 |
283 |
-2 |
1st |
350 ea |
George Adams / Richard Baker |
72 |
70 |
70 |
73 |
285 |
-0- |
2nd |
250 ea |
Michael Davis / Ben Whipple |
71 |
76 |
70 |
70 |
287 |
+2 |
3rd |
175 ea |
Norm Duncan / Brian McGuire |
71 |
75 |
72 |
73 |
291 |
+6 |
4th |
125 ea |
G. Scott Howard / Gordon Pogorelc |
74 |
76 |
73 |
71 |
294 |
+8 |
5th |
100 ea |
Jack Robinson / Gil Wymond |
76 |
74 |
70 |
75 |
295 |
|
|
|
Stan Eggers / Alec Grant |
73 |
77 |
74 |
72 |
296 |
|
|
|
Jon Lipton / Eric Silver |
78 |
74 |
76 |
77 |
305 |
|
|
|
Eric Hauser / Charles Mazzola |
80 |
81 |
75 |
72 |
308 |
|
|
|
Harvey Campbell / Louis Long |
78 |
80 |
75 |
75 |
308 |
|
|
|
Charles Gow / Joseph McCoy |
73 |
77 |
79 |
79 |
308 |
|
|
|
Bayne Boyes / Edward Pearce |
76 |
80 |
74 |
79 |
309 |
|
|
|
Frank Joga / Thomas Kelly |
77 |
80 |
73 |
80 |
310 |
|
|
|
Fredrick Callahan / Patrick Thornton |
75 |
75 |
79 |
81 |
310 |
|
|
|
Barry Lefkowitz / Bruce Lowen |
77 |
81 |
81 |
74 |
313 |
|
|
|
|
Net |
R1 |
R2 |
R3 |
R4 |
Tot |
+/- |
Pos |
Prize |
Phil Ekedahl / Mike Hansen |
60 |
70 |
69 |
68 |
267 |
-18 |
1st |
400 ea |
Ted Geddis / Michael Retter |
72 |
69 |
62 |
66 |
269 |
-16 |
2nd |
300 ea |
Craig Ratcliffe / Ken Schwoerer |
63 |
71 |
68 |
70 |
272 |
-13 |
3rd |
200 ea |
Shawn Hennessy / Joe Pulford |
66 |
70 |
70 |
67 |
273 |
-12 |
4th |
150 ea |
Greg Bunting / Mitchell Friedman |
65 |
72 |
67 |
70 |
274 |
-11 |
5th |
50 ea |
Stephen Janachowski / Greg Leograndis |
71 |
65 |
67 |
71 |
274 |
-11 |
5th |
50 ea |
Michael Stevens ./ George Stevens |
64 |
73 |
70 |
68 |
275 |
|
|
|
Len Biss / Scott Hendin |
71 |
71 |
65 |
69 |
276 |
|
|
|
Roland Hennessy / Lloyd Hennessy |
66 |
71 |
72 |
68 |
277 |
|
|
|
Al Richardson / Jim Thurman |
69 |
71 |
73 |
66 |
279 |
|
|
|
Jim Tarbell / T Tarbell |
68 |
75 |
68 |
70 |
281 |
|
|
|
Stephen Steppe / Peter Steppe |
69 |
72 |
70 |
73 |
284 |
|
|
|
Todd Beatty / Alan Guterman |
69 |
76 |
73 |
72 |
290 |
|
Norm Boucher / Tim Burke |
74 |
75 |
68 |
73 |
290 |
|
Ron Morris / Michael Tiret |
73 |
77 |
74 |
69 |
293 |
|
Norman Lippit / Tom Pullman |
76 |
86 |
70 |
71 |
303 |
|
Robert May / Jim Smith |
70 |
77 |
73 |
wd |
220 |
|
Frederick Baedeker / Brad McKinzie |
66 |
69 |
75 |
wd |
210 |
|
Low Rounds of the Day ($75 per player in proshop credit)
Round 1 at Pacific Dunes
Championship: David Bartman/Robert Funk - 65
Senior: Bob Forster/Stephen Friend - 66
Net: Phil Ekedahl/Mike Hansen - 60
Round 2 at Bandon Trails
Championship: Trey Owen/Chris Brauner - 69
Senior: George Adams/Rich Baker - 70
Net: Stephen Janachowski/Greg Leograndis - 65
Round 3 at Pacific Dunes
Championship: David Bartman/Robert Funk - 61
Senior: (Tie) George Adams/Rich Baker; Michael Davis/Ben Whipple; Jack Robinson/Gil
Wymond - 70
Net: Ted Geddis/Michael Retter - 62
Round 4 at Bandon Dunes (low round out of overall money)
Championship: Pete Wlodkowski and Erik Hallgrimson - 68
Senior: (Tie) Charles Mazzola/Eric Hauser; Stan Eggers/Alec Grant - 72
Net: Al Richardson/Jim Thurman - 66
ABOUT THE
2026 Two-Man Links at Bandon Dunes
He who hesitates is lost. The 25th Two Man Links Championship will fill quickly — so don’t wait!
Join us at the world-renowned Bandon Dunes Resort (site of the 2020 U.S. Amateur) for AmateurGolf.com's flagship best-ball event.
The tournament includes Championship, Senior, Net, and Father & Son Divisions, with gross and net prizes, and welcomes players from across the U.S. and Canada.
GEORGE AND MICHAEL STEVENS FATHER & SON CHAMPIONSHIP
This division continues to grow — often making up 50% of the field. Gross and net prizes are awarded separately from the Open Division.
|
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- 4 nights lodging at Bandon Dunes Resort
- 4 rounds of tournament golf (1 round at each of four courses)
- Welcome gifts for all players
- $10,000 in prizes and awards (based on 80 players)
- One gala tournament dinner
- Awards for division winners
ITINERARY
Thursday, April 16, 2026:
Arrival day. Optional golf (player's expense) or enjoy the practice facility
Lodging at Bandon Dunes Resort
Friday, April 17, 2026:
Round 1 – Old Mac
Tee Times 8:40am-11:50am
Lodging at Bandon Dunes Resort
Saturday, April 18, 2026:
Round 2 – Sheep Ranch
Tee Times 10:10am-2:00pm
Lodging at Bandon Dunes Resort
Sunday, April 19, 2026:
Round 3 – Pacific Dunes
Tee Times 9:10am-1:00pm
Dinner at 6:30 PM
Lodging at Bandon Dunes Resort
Monday, April 20, 2026:
Final Round – Bandon Dunes
Tee Times 7:00am-10:10am
Checkout before play
Awards ceremony immediately following play
COMPETITIONS
- Father & Son Team: Low Gross and Low Net
- Open Team: Low Gross and Low Net
- Senior Teams (both players 50+): Trophy and bonus for low gross
Net scoring is based on 80% of course handicap (max 18 per player), using the lowest GHIN index from the past year.
Suggested maximum team handicap: 36.0.
Play is from Green Tees. Players 65+ may elect to play from Gold Tees.
LODGING & PRICING (Per Player)
Package |
Description |
Status |
$3195 – Double Occupancy |
Rooming with your partner. Includes golf, lodging, dinner, gifts & prizes. |
Open |
$3995 – Chrome Lake Loft |
Shared common area, private bedrooms/bathrooms. Premium comfort. |
SOLD OUT |
$4195 – 4-Bedroom Dune Suite |
Shared common area, private bedrooms/bathrooms. Premium comfort. |
SOLD OUT |
$4695 – 4-Bedroom Lodge Suite |
Premium option. Please inquire with Brandie for availability. |
SOLD OUT |
TO REGISTER: See the registration tab at the top.
To express interest (no commitment):
Click here
View Complete Tournament Information