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.
