John Merrick (golfer)

John Merrick
Personal information
Full name	John Sampson Merrick
Born	March 20, 1982 (1982-03-20) Long Beach, California
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Long Beach, California
Career
College	University of California, Los Angeles
Turned professional	2004
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	1
Number of wins by tour
Nationwide Tour	1
Best results in Major Championships
Masters Tournament	T6: 2009
U.S. Open	T6: 2008
The Open Championship	DNP
PGA Championship	T10: 2009

John Sampson Merrick (born March 20, 1982) is an American professional golfer.

Merrick was born and raised in Long Beach, California. He grew up playing Recreation Park municipal golf course, a classic layout by William F. Bell. He attended Wilson Classical High School where he won the Moore League High School Championship. He is now a member of Virginia Country Club in Long Beach, along with fellow golf professionals John Mallinger and Peter Tomasulo.

Amateur career

Merrick won the Southern California Golf Association Amateur Championship when he was only 19 years old, making him the youngest person since Tiger Woods in 1994 to capture that title. In 2003, he medaled at the Pac-10 Men's Golf Championships, leading the UCLA Bruins to their first championship victory since 1985. He shot a course-record 63 at Oakmont Glendale, with three eagles in one round, the only collegiate player to do so that year. At the 2002 U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills, he tied for second in stroke play at three-under par 137 (71-66) and advanced to the second round before losing 2&1 to finalist Hunter Mahan.

Professional career

Merrick is currently a member of the PGA Tour. He was a member of the Nationwide Tour in 2006. He gained his 2007 PGA Tour card by finishing 21st on the money list in 2006 after his first professional win at the Peek'n Peak Classic. He then went to Q-School and finished tied for fourth. He was the first player to improve his status through Q-School. He consistently ranks among the top players in statistics for total driving (length plus accuracy), greens in regulation, and overall ball-striking.

2007

In his rookie year, Merrick played in 29 events, making 16 cuts. His best finish was T-4 at the Reno-Tahoe Open. After finishing 135th on the money list in 2007, Merrick went back to Q-School where he birdied the last hole to shoot -5 to regain his PGA Tour card for 2008.

2008

On his second full year on tour, Merrick exceeded $1 million in earnings by virtue of 4 top-ten finishes. He got off to a strong start with a T-16 in the Bob Hope Classic (playing as the last alternate into the field) and a career-best T-3 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun. He was the leader after the third round at the rain-plagued Zurich Classic of New Orleans, finishing T-7. He was medalist at the 2008 U.S. Open sectional qualifying event held at Cordova, Tennessee, shooting 65-65.

At his second career U.S. Open, Merrick finished T-6 at Torrey Pines, a course he played frequently during his junior golf and amateur career. A long birdie putt on Merrick's 72nd hole earned a pass into the 2009 Masters as well as the 2009 U.S. Open. He qualified for the 2008 PGA Championship with the 70th place ranking in official money standings.

Merrick ended the year 83rd on the money list and retained his card for 2009.

2009

Merrick earned his best result on tour to date at the 2009 Bob Hope Classic, finishing 2nd by three strokes to Pat Perez. He finished T-6 at the Puerto Rico Open in March. A month later, playing in his first Masters, Merrick shot a final round 66 to finish T-6, equaling his best major result to date. Although he missed the cut at the U.S. Open, he rebounded to finish T-10 at the 2009 PGA Championship. Merrick ended the year ranked 58th on the money list. He teamed with Nick Watney in the 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup, finishing T7, on the strength of a tournament-record 62 for the final day foursomes.

Amateur wins (4)

• 2001 Long Beach City Amateur, Southern California Golf Association Amateur
• 2002 Long Beach City Amateur
• 2003 Pac-10 Men's Golf Championship (individual)

Professional wins (1)

Nationwide Tour (1)

• 2006 Peek'n Peak Classic

Results in major championships

Tournament	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
The Masters	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	T6
U.S. Open	CUT	DNP	DNP	T6	CUT
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	T52	T10

Tournament	2010
The Masters	CUT
U.S. Open	DNP
The Open Championship	DNP
PGA Championship	CUT

U.S. national team appearances

• World Cup: 2009

See also

• 2006 Nationwide Tour graduates
• 2006 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 2007 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates

External links

• John Merrick at the PGA Tour official site
• John Merrick at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
• Profile on UCLA site
• Southland Golf Magazine - Breaking through John Merrick Torrey Pines