Allen Geiberger will be looking to put his famous last name on the trophy at this weekend?s 53rd annual Santa Barbara City Golf Championship at the Santa Barbara Golf Club.
The 54-hole amateur tournament, a Memorial Day weekend tradition, begins Saturday and concludes Monday.
Geiberger, a Santa Barbara native and the son of former PGA star Al ?Mr. 59? Geiberger, finished second to Andrew Perez in last year?s tournament. Perez is not returning to seek a third straight title.
This year?s championship flight figures to be wide open as past champions and perennial contenders John Pate and Kevin Marsh also are not entered due to prior commitments. Pate is a six-time champion and Marsh won back-to-back titles in 2004-05.
A former champion hoping to reclaim City glory is Brandon Gama. He won the 2008 title and set the 54-hole tournament scoring record with a 17-under par 193.
Other local players who expect to challenge for the title include Brian Helton, Levi Garcia, Matt Free and David Siordia, the San Marcos High golf coach.
Eighty players are entered in the championship flight. They?ll tee off in a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. The final round on Memorial Day Monday begins at 9 a.m.
?We encourage the public to come out and support some of the best amateur players in the state,? said Chris Talerico, the director of golf at SBGC.
