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Eddie Merrins, FOG

Eddie Merrins, “The Little Pro”

Eddie Merrins was known as “The Little Pro,” but there is nothing small about the legacy he left behind in the game of golf.
 
Merrins, the legendary PGA golfer, UCLA men’s golf coach, longtime teaching pro at Bel-Air Country Club and co-founder of Friends of Golf, passed away in 2023 and was posthoumously honored at FOG’s 44th annual charity golf tournament in October.
 
Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Nantz lent his voice to a beautiful tribute video (see link below) and Merrins’ son Mason spoke eloquently about his father at FOG’s post-tournament dinner. Former LPGA Tour standout and longtime broadcaster Dottie Pepper was the latest golf luminary to be honored with ‘The Eddie Merrins Trophy’ at FOG’s October tournament.
 
Merrins, who served as the head pro at Bel-Air CC from 1962-2003, famously taught the likes of Bing Crosby, George C. Scott, Dean Martin, Jack Nicholson and many other Hollywood stars during his professional teaching career.
 
In 1979, Merrins helped launch Friends of Golf, which has since donated over $12.5 million to both national and local college and high school golf teams and other golf-focused organizations. Additionally, FOG partners with the Golf Coaches Association of America and Colonial Country Club and The LPGA Foundation and Women’s Golf Coaches Association to annually honor the top collegiate male and female golfers with both The Ben Hogan Trophy and The Dinah Shore Trophy.
 

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Spirit of Giving Award

Friends of Golf (FOG) To Honor Longtime Board Member Joe Fields With Ken Venturi ‘Spirit of Giving’ Award

Fields Joins Former LPGA Star and Longtime Broadcaster Dottie Pepper as Honorees at FOG’s Upcoming 44th Annual Charity Tournament
 
Tournament Presented by Konica Minolta Set for October 7th at Bel-Air Country Club
 
Los Angeles, CA (August 20, 2024) Friends of Golf (FOG) will honor longtime board member and accomplished veteran financial services executive Joe Fields with The Ken Venturi “Spirit of Giving” Award at its 44th annual charity golf tournament presented by Konica Minolta on October 7th at Bel-Air Country Club, it was announced today by FOG President Peter Best.
 
Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Jim Nantz will be on-hand once again to present awards and interview this year’s honorees at the tournament, which will also honor former LPGA star and longtime broadcaster Dottie Pepper with The Eddie Merrins Trophy.
 
Fields, who has played an instrumental role in FOG’s history as a board member since 2012, most recently served as Managing Partner of Friess Associates, which managed the Brandywine mutual fund family. During his four-decade career, Fields served in a variety of leadership positions with investment banks and other top financial institutions, and he’s led numerous philanthropic initiatives, including his current role as Director of the Evans Scholars Foundation. The Evans Foundation supports 1100 young men and women with four-year full college scholarships. 
 
“Joe Fields’ continued dedication and support of Friends of Golf and the long list of other philanthropic initiatives he’s helped lead, makes him the quintessential recipient for this year’s Ken Venturi ‘Spirit of Giving’ Award,” says FOG Chairman Sal Cimbolo. “He joins our other tremendous honoree, Dottie Pepper, for what should be another truly special event this year.”
 
Fields added, “I first met Ken Venturi at the 1978 NCAA Golf Championship where he was the guest of honor. I had the great privilege of speaking to him regarding the tournament and the opportunities the game of golf creates for all of us fortunate to play the game. I reconnected with Mr. Venturi at FOG 30 years later and we had a great laugh about how our hair color had changed to gray!”
 
In 2012, FOG created the inaugural Ken Venturi “Spirit of Giving” Award to honor Venturi and his commitment to being an inspiring and motivating force for young golfers everywhere. Venturi, who passed away in 2013, was a Friend of FOG for many years, almost since its inception. Through the years, he graciously committed his time to support the mission of FOG and conducted numerous clinics for players and helped attract many top professional golfers to contribute their time to the organization’s various initiatives. 
 
Fields joins an illustrious group of past recipients of the “Spirit of Giving” Award, including last year’s honoree former PGA of America President Tom Addis III, Al Michaels (2022), Vin Scully (2020), Tom Debrowski & Joseph Sindelar, Jr. (2019) and Ely Callaway & Oliver “Chip” Brewer (2015). 
 
Pepper will be joining a stellar group of past FOG honorees at this year’s event, a list that includes Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Annika Sörenstam, Dustin Johnson, Lorena Ochoa, Patrick Cantlay, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa and Juli Inkster. 
 
Konica Minolta is the Title Sponsor of FOG’s 2024 tournament, while Callaway is the Major Equipment sponsor, Skechers is the Major Footwear sponsor and johnnie-O is the Major Apparel sponsor.
 
ABOUT FRIENDS OF GOLF (FOG)
 
Originally founded in 1979, FOG has donated over $10 million to both national and Southern California college, high school and non-profit golf-focused organizations. Legendary professional golfer and Bel-Air Country Club teaching pro Eddie Merrins (“The Little Pro”) and a group of Los Angeles-area golfer helped organize FOG’s first annual golf tournament intended to benefit the neighboring UCLA men’s golf program. Since then, FOG has hosted 43 annual charity golf tournaments at Bel-Air Country Club and honored some of the game’s top stars including Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Lorena Ochoa and Collin Morikawa. FOG supports student athlete golfers by instilling the values of honesty, ethics, and fellowship with a true appreciation for the game. From the time boys and girls enter grade school through the end of their college experience, FOG makes it possible for aspiring junior golfers (irrespective of economic standing) to play, compete and excel in this exceptional sport. 
 
FOG also founded and backs a number of leading national amateur golf awards including The Ben Hogan Trophy, presented each year to the top male college golfer through a joint venture with Colonial Country Club, and The Dinah Shore Trophy, which is similarly presented to the top female golfer through a joint venture with the LPGA Foundation. Friends of Golf, Inc. is recognized as a non-profit, tax-deductible organization through Federal I.D. #95-3668541 and the State of California Franchise Tax Board Organization #1058257.

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Dottie Pepper

Friends of Golf (FOG) Set to Honor Former LPGA Star and Longtime Broadcaster Dottie Pepper

2-Time Major Winner and CBS On-Course Announcer to be Honored at 44th Annual Charity Tournament  
 
 Tournament Presented by Konica Minolta Set for October 7 at Bel-Air Country Club
 
Los Angeles, CA,  Friends of Golf (FOG) is set to honor former LPGA Tour standout and longtime broadcaster Dottie Pepper at its 44th annual charity tournament on October 7 at Bel-Air Country Club.
 
Pepper, a 17-time winner on the LPGA Tour, will be presented with The Eddie Merrins Trophy, named after the late legendary PGA golfer, UCLA men’s golf coach and longtime teaching professional at Bel-Air Country Club, who helped launch FOG more than 40 years ago. Last year, FOG honored six-time PGA Tour winner Max Homa and former LPGA star and Hall of Famer Juli Inkster at its 43rd annual event.  
 
Originally founded in 1979, non-profit organization FOG has donated over $10 million to both national and local college, high school and other golf-focused organizations and has honored many of the game’s top players over the last four decades including Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Lorena Ochoa and Collin Morikawa.
 
FOG partners with the Golf Coaches Association of America and Colonial Country Club and The LPGA Foundation and Women’s Golf Coaches Association to annually honor the top collegiate male and female golfers with both The Ben Hogan Trophy and The Dinah Shore Trophy. 
 
Konica Minolta is once again the Title Sponsor of FOG’s 2024 tournament, while Callaway is the Major Equipment sponsor, Skechers is the Major Footwear sponsor and johnnie-O is the Major Apparel sponsor.
 
“We are thrilled to honor Dottie Pepper with The Eddie Merrins Award at our 44th annual Friends of Golf tournament this October,” said FOG President Peter Best. “Through her tremendously successful professional career on the LPGA Tour and her extensive work as a broadcast golf reporter, Dottie is one of the most respected and admired people in the game globally.”
 
Pepper stated, “I am both humbled and honored to follow in the footsteps of golf’s greats that have previously been selected by the Friends of Golf for this prestigious award. Eddie Merrins left his fingerprints all over our game, inspiring players and teachers to leave the game better than they found it. To be presented with this award in his name will be a constant reminder of how we can use golf’s values to make our entire world a better place.”
 
During her professional golf career, Pepper captured two LPGA major championships, the 1992 and 1999 Nabisco Dinah Shore (now The Chevron Championship). In winning the 1999 major, Pepper won with a record-setting 19-under par, the lowest score in relation to par in all major championship golf at that time. She was the tour leader in wins during the 1992 and 1996 seasons and was a member of six Solheim Cup teams.
 
Once her playing days were over due to injuries, Pepper transferred her focus to sports broadcasting and has been at the forefront of golf media since the early 2000s. She began working as a golf commentator for NBC and the Golf Channel and in 2013, after a short break, she returned to commentating for ESPN, working major tournaments on the PGA, LPGA and Champions Tour. In 2016, she began working for CBS (her current employer) and in 2020, she became the first walking reporter for CBS’ coverage of The Masters.
 
Beyond broadcasting, Pepper is a past member of the PGA of America’s Board of Directors and has been working on various junior golf initiatives to help grow the game.
 
FOG was founded in 1979 by Merrins and a group of Los Angeles-area golfers who wanted to make it possible for aspiring junior golfers (irrespective of their economic standing) to play, compete and excel in the game of golf. Friends of Golf supports student athlete golfers by instilling the values of honesty, ethics, and fellowship with a true appreciation for the game. From the time boys and girls enter grade school through the end of their college experience, FOG makes it possible for aspiring junior golfers (irrespective of economic standing) to play, compete and excel in this exceptional sport. 
 
ABOUT FRIENDS OF GOLF (FOG)
 
Originally founded in 1979, FOG has donated over $10 million to both national and Southern California college, high school and non-profit golf-focused organizations. Legendary professional golfer and Bel-Air Country Club teaching pro Eddie Merrins (“The Little Pro”) and a group of Los Angeles-area golfer helped organize FOG’s first annual golf tournament intended to benefit the neighboring UCLA men’s golf program. Since then, FOG has hosted 43 annual charity golf tournaments at Bel-Air Country Club and honored some of the game’s top stars including Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Lorena Ochoa and Collin Morikawa. FOG supports student athlete golfers by instilling the values of honesty, ethics, and fellowship with a true appreciation for the game. From the time boys and girls enter grade school through the end of their college experience, FOG makes it possible for aspiring junior golfers (irrespective of economic standing) to play, compete and excel in this exceptional sport. 
 
FOG also founded and backs a number of leading national amateur golf awards including The Ben Hogan Trophy, presented each year to the top male college golfer through a joint venture with Colonial Country Club, and The Dinah Shore Trophy, which is similarly presented to the top female golfer through a joint venture with the LPGA Foundation. Friends of Golf, Inc. is recognized as a non-profit, tax-deductible organization through Federal I.D. #95-3668541 and the State of California Franchise Tax Board Organization #1058257.

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