Merrick Defends Long Beach Golf Title

John Merrick of Long Beach won his second consecutive Long Beach City Championship with an eight-stroke victory Tuesday at Skylinks Golf Course.

Merrick, a junior at UCLA, shot rounds of 68, 65 and 70 to outdistance runner-up Justin Lee of Las Vegas. Last year, Merrick used his victory at Long Beach as a springboard to winning the Southern California Amateur Golf Assn. Championship. Merrick begins defense of the SCGA Amateur title Friday at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana.