David Merkow
Encyclopedia
David Bartos Merkow is a long-hitting American :golfer.
He won the World Junior Masters tournament boys 14–15 division as a youth in 2000, and the American Junior Golf Association
's SLI Junior Classic boys division two years later. In June 2005 he and a former high school teammate won the Wisconsin State Golf Association
Best-Ball title.
For college, he attended Northwestern University. There, he won the individual title at the Second Annual Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge in 2005, was named Big Ten Conference
Player of the Year in 2006, and finished his college career 6th in Northwestern's all-time stroke average, at 74.27.
In 2008, playing in Argentina in the 11th Pan American Maccabi Games, he won two gold medals; both in the individual competition, and with the U.S. team in the team competition. In 2010 he was playing in the NGA Hooters Tour
.
, 30 miles (48.3 km) from Milwaukee. His grandfather taught him how to play golf. In August 2000, he won the World Junior Masters tournament boys 14–15 division with a 227. In August 2002, he won the American Junior Golf Association
's SLI Junior Classic boys division in New Seabury, Massachusetts, with a 212 (2 over par).
In Arrowhead Union High School
in Hartland, he was co-Captain of the golf team in his senior year, and was a two-time all-state honoree (as a junior and senior, in 2002 and 2003), American Junior Golf Association Polo honorable mention All-American in 2002, first-team all-conference honors all four years, two-time Classic 8 Conference Player of the Year (in his sophomore and senior seasons), and helped his team to the state championship his sophomore season.
He was one of only three Jewish students at the high school. Speaking about being Jewish, Merkow observed: "It does drive me. When I make it on [the PGA] Tour, I'd like it to be known that I'm Jewish. Whether it's wearing my Star of David
[around his neck], or having a Chai
on my [golf] bag, I want to show that there are good Jewish athletes."
, where he was an economics major.
In the 2004–05 season he shot a 3-under 210 in placing third at the Alister MacKenzie
Invitational, and delivered his career-low score (67) in the second round of that tourney and again in the last round of the Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade
Invitational.
Merkow won the individual title at the Second Annual Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge in October 2005, and led his team to the team title. He beat 2005 NCAA Champion James Lepp
, with a 54-hole career-best score of 209 (7-under). In April 2006, at the 36th Robert Kepler Intercollegiate he took third place, with a 1-over 217. He was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week on March 2, 2006.
In 2006, he was named Big Ten Conference
Player of the Year. He was the first golfer from Northwestern to win the award since Luke Donald
in 2001. He was also ranked number one in the Golfweek/Sagarin Big Ten Player Ratings for the year. During 2005–06, he was in the top 20 in a total of six tournaments.
In April 2007, after he finished tied for 4th at the Kepler Intercollegiate, he optimistically said: "We've significantly underachieved this year. But no one will remember this if we win another Big Ten championship." In May 2007, however, his team narrowly missed the cut for the NCAA Championships which it had participated in the prior year, by a mere two strokes at the NCAA Central Regional Championship.
His teammate Kyle Moore said that: "It's hard to gauge how long he hits. If he [were] on the PGA Tour, he'd be one of the longest drivers out there." His coach Pat Goss observed that his skill at hitting iron shots into the wind distinguished him from other golfers. Speaking of Merkow in 2007, Goss predicted: "He is someone who is on the cusp of really doing something spectacular. He has a lot of talent."
Merkow graduated in June 2007, and ended his career 6th in Northwestern's all-time stroke average, at 74.27. In addition to his Conference Player of the Year honors, he was twice named All-Big Ten, honored as a member of the Ping All-Midwest Region team, and was Academic All-Big Ten.
, won a gold medal in the individual competition in the 11th Pan American Maccabi Games (which ended on January 2, 2008) at Hacoaj Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He had a score of 282 (−10), competing in the age 18-and-up open division, winning with a 67 in the last round. He also won a second gold medal as the U.S. bested second-place Argentina in the team competition. For the first time he met cousins of his who lived in the city, and said: "It was absolutely unbelievable. It could not have been more special. I gave them one of my gold medals".
Match Play Championship.
In June 2005, he and former high school teammate Charlie Delsman won the Wisconsin State Golf Association Best-Ball title. In the 2005 Wisconsin State Golf Association Match Play Championship's last match, he lost 3 and 1.
He began the spring of 2006 with a national ranking of No. 100 (Golfweek/Sagarin index). In July 2006, he tied for fourth with a 289 at the Wisconsin 105th State Amateur Championship.
Merkow also played in the United States Golf Association
U.S. Amateurs. In 2006 he played at the 7473 yards (6,833.3 m) Hazeltine National Golf Club
course in Minnesota, with his 71 being the second-lowest score in the 312-player field after the first day of stroke play. He was a quarter-finalist. He beat Malaysian golfer Ben Leong 5–3 in the first round. But he lost in the second round of match play to stroke-play medalist Billy Horschel
, 3 and 1.
Merkow won the August 2007 U.S. Amateur qualifier at Hartland's Chenequa Country Club with scores of 66 and 64, for a 12-under 130. Later than month he played at the 107th U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, where he shot two back-to-back under-2 rounds of 69 to make the round of 64, and was one of just four golfers to put up sub-par numbers in stroke play, but was eliminated in the first round of match play. Because stroke play totals don't affect match play results, Merkow had observed: "There are two tournaments this week. Anybody who's in the top 64 can win. It starts over tomorrow." In 2007 he lost to Brendan Gielow
3–2. Making the match play both years, Merkow finished 21st and 2nd in the stroke play portion of the event.
CBS College Sports reported in May 2007 that in a qualifier at North Shore Country Club
in Mequon, Wisconsin
, Merkow shot a 2-under 70. That score was good enough for a tie for medalist honors, and afforded him a spot in the sectional qualifying round for the U.S. Open. He said: "My goal is to miss my graduation. It's June 15, which would be the Friday of the U.S. Open." In June 2007, however, he failed to qualify in the sectional qualifying at Scioto Country Club
.
He has full status on the Hooters Tour, after winning the 2008 NGA Hooters Tour Ranking School by 4 shots. He has also played on the Gateway Tour
. He is extremely long off the tee, an excellent ball-striker, and a streaky putter.
In May 2010, Merkow advanced to the U.S. Open sectionals with a 69 at a local qualifying round at Illini Country Club.
in August 2010. He joined the staff of Steve Bailey, his former assistant coach at Northwestern.
He won the World Junior Masters tournament boys 14–15 division as a youth in 2000, and the American Junior Golf Association
American Junior Golf Association
The American Junior Golf Association is a "501 nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf." AJGA is considered by many leaders in the golf industry to be the premier...
's SLI Junior Classic boys division two years later. In June 2005 he and a former high school teammate won the Wisconsin State Golf Association
Wisconsin State Golf Association
The Wisconsin State Golf Association is a 501[c]6 organization comprising over 400 member golf clubs located in the state of Wisconsin and approximately 60,000 individual golfing members...
Best-Ball title.
For college, he attended Northwestern University. There, he won the individual title at the Second Annual Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge in 2005, was named Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
Player of the Year in 2006, and finished his college career 6th in Northwestern's all-time stroke average, at 74.27.
In 2008, playing in Argentina in the 11th Pan American Maccabi Games, he won two gold medals; both in the individual competition, and with the U.S. team in the team competition. In 2010 he was playing in the NGA Hooters Tour
NGA Pro Golf Tour
The National Golf Association Pro Golf Tour is a developmental men's professional golf tour in the United States. It includes approximately twenty 72-hole Pro Series events and three 54-hole Qualifying School Prep Series events each year throughout the US South and Midwest. The NGA Pro Golf Tour...
.
Early life and high school
Merkow was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Hartland, WisconsinHartland, Wisconsin
Hartland is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, along the Bark River, and is a suburb of Milwaukee. The population was estimated at 8,689 in 2006.-Geography:Hartland is located at...
, 30 miles (48.3 km) from Milwaukee. His grandfather taught him how to play golf. In August 2000, he won the World Junior Masters tournament boys 14–15 division with a 227. In August 2002, he won the American Junior Golf Association
American Junior Golf Association
The American Junior Golf Association is a "501 nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf." AJGA is considered by many leaders in the golf industry to be the premier...
's SLI Junior Classic boys division in New Seabury, Massachusetts, with a 212 (2 over par).
In Arrowhead Union High School
Arrowhead High School
Arrowhead High School is a high school located in Hartland, Wisconsin. Sitting on of land, the school has two campuses, a North Campus and a South Campus. Juniors and Seniors attend the North Campus, while Freshmen and Sophomores attend the South Campus....
in Hartland, he was co-Captain of the golf team in his senior year, and was a two-time all-state honoree (as a junior and senior, in 2002 and 2003), American Junior Golf Association Polo honorable mention All-American in 2002, first-team all-conference honors all four years, two-time Classic 8 Conference Player of the Year (in his sophomore and senior seasons), and helped his team to the state championship his sophomore season.
He was one of only three Jewish students at the high school. Speaking about being Jewish, Merkow observed: "It does drive me. When I make it on [the PGA] Tour, I'd like it to be known that I'm Jewish. Whether it's wearing my Star of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
[around his neck], or having a Chai
Chai (symbol)
Chai is a symbol and word that figures prominently in Jewish culture. It consists of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet Chet and Yod .The Hebrew word "living" is related to the term for "life", chaim; ḥayyim....
on my [golf] bag, I want to show that there are good Jewish athletes."
College
He chose to attend Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, where he was an economics major.
In the 2004–05 season he shot a 3-under 210 in placing third at the Alister MacKenzie
Alister MacKenzie
Dr. Alister MacKenzie was an internationally renowned, British golf course architect whose course designs, on three different continents, are consistently ranked among the finest golf courses in the world...
Invitational, and delivered his career-low score (67) in the second round of that tourney and again in the last round of the Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade
Taylormade
Taylormade or Taylor Made may refer to one of several things:*TaylorMade-adidas, a golfing products company**TaylorMade KSB Open former name of the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup golf tournament*Taylormade Media, a New Zealand media graphics company...
Invitational.
Merkow won the individual title at the Second Annual Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge in October 2005, and led his team to the team title. He beat 2005 NCAA Champion James Lepp
James Lepp
James Lepp is a Canadian professional golfer.Lepp was born in Abbotsford, British Columbia. He began his collegiate golf career at the University of Illinois. In 2005, he won the NCAA Division I Championship while playing for the University of Washington, the first Canadian male to do so...
, with a 54-hole career-best score of 209 (7-under). In April 2006, at the 36th Robert Kepler Intercollegiate he took third place, with a 1-over 217. He was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week on March 2, 2006.
In 2006, he was named Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
Player of the Year. He was the first golfer from Northwestern to win the award since Luke Donald
Luke Donald
Luke Campbell Donald is an English professional golfer who is the current World Number One. He plays mainly on the U.S. based PGA Tour but is also a member of the European Tour. In 2006 he reached the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career. In January 2007, he...
in 2001. He was also ranked number one in the Golfweek/Sagarin Big Ten Player Ratings for the year. During 2005–06, he was in the top 20 in a total of six tournaments.
In April 2007, after he finished tied for 4th at the Kepler Intercollegiate, he optimistically said: "We've significantly underachieved this year. But no one will remember this if we win another Big Ten championship." In May 2007, however, his team narrowly missed the cut for the NCAA Championships which it had participated in the prior year, by a mere two strokes at the NCAA Central Regional Championship.
His teammate Kyle Moore said that: "It's hard to gauge how long he hits. If he [were] on the PGA Tour, he'd be one of the longest drivers out there." His coach Pat Goss observed that his skill at hitting iron shots into the wind distinguished him from other golfers. Speaking of Merkow in 2007, Goss predicted: "He is someone who is on the cusp of really doing something spectacular. He has a lot of talent."
Merkow graduated in June 2007, and ended his career 6th in Northwestern's all-time stroke average, at 74.27. In addition to his Conference Player of the Year honors, he was twice named All-Big Ten, honored as a member of the Ping All-Midwest Region team, and was Academic All-Big Ten.
International career
Merkow, playing in his first Maccabi GamesMaccabi (sports)
Maccabi may refer to:* The Maccabi World Union, Maccabiah Games or any one of the following sport organizations around the world:...
, won a gold medal in the individual competition in the 11th Pan American Maccabi Games (which ended on January 2, 2008) at Hacoaj Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He had a score of 282 (−10), competing in the age 18-and-up open division, winning with a 67 in the last round. He also won a second gold medal as the U.S. bested second-place Argentina in the team competition. For the first time he met cousins of his who lived in the city, and said: "It was absolutely unbelievable. It could not have been more special. I gave them one of my gold medals".
U.S. career
In June 2004, at the age of 18, he was a semifinalist at the Wisconsin State Golf AssociationWisconsin State Golf Association
The Wisconsin State Golf Association is a 501[c]6 organization comprising over 400 member golf clubs located in the state of Wisconsin and approximately 60,000 individual golfing members...
Match Play Championship.
In June 2005, he and former high school teammate Charlie Delsman won the Wisconsin State Golf Association Best-Ball title. In the 2005 Wisconsin State Golf Association Match Play Championship's last match, he lost 3 and 1.
He began the spring of 2006 with a national ranking of No. 100 (Golfweek/Sagarin index). In July 2006, he tied for fourth with a 289 at the Wisconsin 105th State Amateur Championship.
Merkow also played in the United States Golf Association
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
U.S. Amateurs. In 2006 he played at the 7473 yards (6,833.3 m) Hazeltine National Golf Club
Hazeltine National Golf Club
Hazeltine National Golf Club is a golf club located in Chaska, Minnesota. It is a private club and therefore closed to guests not accompanied by a member. The golf course was designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1962....
course in Minnesota, with his 71 being the second-lowest score in the 312-player field after the first day of stroke play. He was a quarter-finalist. He beat Malaysian golfer Ben Leong 5–3 in the first round. But he lost in the second round of match play to stroke-play medalist Billy Horschel
Billy Horschel
William John Horschel is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.-Amateur career:Horschel was born in Grant, Florida. He won the individual medalist honors at the 2006 U.S. Amateur, shooting a two day score of 138 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota...
, 3 and 1.
Merkow won the August 2007 U.S. Amateur qualifier at Hartland's Chenequa Country Club with scores of 66 and 64, for a 12-under 130. Later than month he played at the 107th U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, where he shot two back-to-back under-2 rounds of 69 to make the round of 64, and was one of just four golfers to put up sub-par numbers in stroke play, but was eliminated in the first round of match play. Because stroke play totals don't affect match play results, Merkow had observed: "There are two tournaments this week. Anybody who's in the top 64 can win. It starts over tomorrow." In 2007 he lost to Brendan Gielow
Brendan Gielow
Brendan Gielow is an amateur golfer for the Wake Forest Demon Decons.- Personal life :Gielow was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Eric and Renea Gielow. He graduated from Mona Shores High School in 2006, after moving as a child from Grand Rapids. In his tenure at Mona Shores, he played...
3–2. Making the match play both years, Merkow finished 21st and 2nd in the stroke play portion of the event.
CBS College Sports reported in May 2007 that in a qualifier at North Shore Country Club
North Shore Country Club
North Shore Country Club is a private country club in Glenview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.Founded in 1917, it features a 7,031 yard 18-hole golf course. In 1933, it hosted the U.S. Open that was won by Johnny Goodman. It has also hosted the Western Open on one occasion and the U.S. Amateur on...
in Mequon, Wisconsin
Mequon, Wisconsin
Mequon is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 21,823 at the 2000 census, and an estimated population of 23,739 in July 2009...
, Merkow shot a 2-under 70. That score was good enough for a tie for medalist honors, and afforded him a spot in the sectional qualifying round for the U.S. Open. He said: "My goal is to miss my graduation. It's June 15, which would be the Friday of the U.S. Open." In June 2007, however, he failed to qualify in the sectional qualifying at Scioto Country Club
Scioto Country Club
Scioto Country Club, is a private country club and golf course in Upper Arlington, in suburban Columbus, Ohio. The course, designed by Donald Ross, opened in 1916 and since then has hosted five PGA tournaments throughout its history, including two majors...
.
He has full status on the Hooters Tour, after winning the 2008 NGA Hooters Tour Ranking School by 4 shots. He has also played on the Gateway Tour
Gateway Tour
The Gateway Tour is a third-level men's professional golf tour headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona that runs tournaments in Arizona, California, and Florida. The top level of men's professional golf in the United States is the PGA Tour. The second level is the Nationwide Tour, which is the official...
. He is extremely long off the tee, an excellent ball-striker, and a streaky putter.
In May 2010, Merkow advanced to the U.S. Open sectionals with a 69 at a local qualifying round at Illini Country Club.
Coaching
He was named assistant men's golf coach at Marquette UniversityMarquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
in August 2010. He joined the staff of Steve Bailey, his former assistant coach at Northwestern.
Awards/honors
- In 2005 finished in 10th place at the Big Ten Championships.
- In 2006 named first-team All-Big Ten honors and Big Ten Player of the Year.
- In 2007 named a second-team All-Big Ten.