John Merrick (golfer) John Merrick (golfer) John Sampson Merrick (born March 20, 1982) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. 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. 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
Earl Woods Tiger, comes from Earl Woods' wartime friendship with Colonel Vuong Dang "Tiger" Phong, a courageous pilot who flew in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. In 1972, Woods was stationed at Brooklyn's Fort Hamilton, and learned to play golf, starting at age 42, at the Dyker Beach Golf Course in Dyker Heights. From his first experience with golf, Earl Woods was captivated by it, and played a great deal for the remainder of his life. He eventually became a good standard amateur golfer, often scoring in the 70s for 18 holes. Earl claimed to be playing close to scratch