Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame 2009 Inductees Announced

The Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame will be welcoming three exceptional golfers as new members in 2009, according to Hall of Fame Chairman Len Kennett.  The new members are John Mallinger, John Merrick and Peter Tomasulo.

“The City of Long Beach has a rich tradition of good golf and good golfers, and these fine young men have added to, and will continue to add to, that tradition,” said Kennett. 

John Mallinger was born in Escondido, but played his college golf at Long Beach State, where he was a 3-time All Big West selection.  Since graduating, Mallinger has made Long Beach his home.  He was a medalist at the 2005 Canadian Tour Qualifying School, but he earned the nickname “Monday Mally” by getting though several fall Monday Qualifying events and playing in enough Nationwide Tour events in 2005 to earn playing privileges for 2006.  He breezed through all stages of the Qualifying School that year to earn his PGA Tour Card.  It didn’t take long for him to prove he belonged in “The Big Show,” when he finished 3^rd at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am that year, one of 8 top 10 finishes he has recorded so far in his career.  Mallinger finished 68^th on the money list in 2007, and 98^th in 2008.  He has also played in three United States Open Championships.

John Merrick was born in Long Beach and attended Wilson High School before playing his collegiate golf at the University of California at Los Angeles.  Merrick won the Moore League High School Championship while at Wilson and won the 2001 SCGA Amateur Championship at La Jolla Country Club.  While at UCLA, Merrick was a three time All-American, and won the 2003 PAC 10 Championship at Glendale’s Oakmont Country Club.  Merrick won a Nationwide Tour event in 2006 and finished within the Top 25 money winners for the year, earning his PGA Tour membership.  He decided to enter that year’s Qualifying School in an attempt to increase the number of events he could enter, and it was a good choice, as he finished 4^th, dramatically improving his playing opportunities for the following year.  Merrick finished 135^th on the money list in 2007, but again successfully navigated Qualifying School that year to improve his position and finished 2008 with 4 top ten finishes, including a tie for 6^th at the US Open at Torrey Pines, which earned him an invitation to the 2009 Masters.  He finished second at this year’s 50^th Anniversary Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Pam Springs.

Peter Tomasulo was born in Long Beach, and attended Poly High School before entering the University of California at Berkeley to play his collegiate golf.  Peter was a four year starter at Cal and captained the Golden Bears to the NCAA Division I National Championship in 2004, and was named an NCAA 1^st Team All American that year.  Tomasulo earned privileges on the Canadian Tour in 2005, and during a 5-week stretch that summer, he won the Long Beach Open (defeating John Merrick by one shot), the Canadian PGA Tour’s Montreal Open and the Nationwide Tour’s Alberta Classic.  Tomasulo was on the Nationwide Tour for 4 years, and after coming close several times, he finally earned his PGA Tour Card by recording seven top 10 finishes and claiming the #11 spot on the Nationwide money list in 2008.  

As always, the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will follow the conclusion of the $165,000 Long Beach Open professional golf tournament at El Dorado Park Golf Course on Sunday, August 2, 2009, at approximately 2:30 p.m.

For more information on the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame and other golf programs in Long Beach, please contact Golf Superintendent Bob Livingstone at (562) 570-3122. For information on other Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine programs, call (562) 570-3100 or sign up for E-notify and we’ll e-mail you the latest information!