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 John Merrick earned $220,686 for his sixth-place finish at the 2008 U.S. Open, the most lucrative result of his career. Though the Long Beach native couldn’t conjure those impressive scores in any of his four rounds on the South Course at Torrey Pines — or even break par, for that matter — it sure felt like he did. After shooting 73-72 in his first two rounds, Merrick posted a pair of even-par 71s on the weekend to finish tied for sixth at his second U.S. Open. “Even par feels like 65 on this course,” he said. “It’s almost impossible not to make some bogeys at this tournament.” The ramifications of his finish are monumental. Merrick netted a personal-best $220,686 in prize money, giving him more than $1 million in earnings for the year — all but guaranteeing his return to the PGA Tour in 2009 — and he’s ensured invitations to next year’s U.S. Open and the Masters. What’s more, Merrick, 26, proved he could hang with the big boys. His solid weekend was enough to surpass an array of major champions, including Ernie Els, his Sunday playing partner. “It was real fun hanging out with him. I really hadn’t got to meet him before,” Merrick said of Els. “His U.S. Open win at Oakmont in 1994 was one of the first tournaments I watched on TV.” Merrick, who finished 135th on the PGA Tour money list in 2007, birdied his final hole at Qualifying School last December to keep his card. He’s taken advantage of his second full campaign, missing only four cuts through 16 events and contending at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. “I think I’m more comfortable,” Merrick said in comparing his current season to 2007. “It was a little overwhelming last year, just not knowing what to expect. Each event is a stepping stone, and I’m learning how to be a complete pro.” A former All-American at UCLA, Merrick gained a reputation for being one of the PGA Tour’s most consistent ball-strikers last season, finishing ninth in greens in regulation. He has built on that in 2008, ranking among the circuit’s leaders in total driving. Merrick’s tee-to-green game at Torrey Pines was solid, too: he hit at least 11 greens in each round and finished seventh in the field in driving distance (306.6 yards) while finding the fairway nearly 65 percent of the time. “He followed his game plan perfectly and delivered the goods,” said PGA professional Jamie Mulligan, his instructor at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach. “There are so many good things to take from the week.” Stats aside, Merrick hit some of the more memorable shots of his career at the difficult South Course. During Friday’s second round, he pushed his drive well right on the 478-yard par-4 15th hole. Needing to maneuver his ball over one tree and under another, he flushed a 5-iron that landed on the front edge of the green and rolled out to two-putt range. “It was a 1 in 30 or 40 shot. It came out perfect,” Merrick said. His Saturday round, in which he went 3 under on his first 10 holes, included a 30-foot bomb for birdie on the par-4 fifth. “That was probably the loudest roar I’ve ever heard, for me,” he said. “I guess I felt like I was Tiger Woods there, for a moment.” And while Merrick’s birdie putt on the par-5 18th in the final round may not be as heralded as Woods’, it was made from about the same distance with more break and a slicker path from above the hole. In addition to having lots of friends and family in attendance, Merrick played with Escondido native and fellow Mulligan pupil John Mallinger in each of his first two rounds. “One thing that was great about them playing together was they got to warm up next to each other. That was cool,” said Mulligan, who has been Merrick’s coach for more than 12 years. Growing up at Long Beach’s Recreation Park Golf Course, where he learned from PGA professional Bruce McDaniel, Merrick was happy to thrive at Torrey Pines, another public venue. And it seems like he’s getting the hang of this whole U.S. Open thing, too. “There’s just no let-up at all. It’s just mentally so much harder [than other tournaments],” Merrick said. “I never got ahead of myself, never let bad stuff get me down — just kind of kept plugging away.” Merrick’s ability to lock up his PGA Tour playing privileges for 2009 has altered his schedule for 2008, as he will now try to qualify for this month’s British Open at Royal Birkdale. “I look at all the different things that are happening in my game, and the results are showing,” he said. “I’m feeling more comfortable out on the course handling the pressure. “Now, I want more.” SG |
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