Merritt repeats as Belvoir Long Drive winner

Retired Army Sgt. 1st class John Merritt is no stranger to the Military Long Drive competition.

The event, in which golfers compete annually in Mesquite, Nev. for a $10,000 prize for the longest shot down a fairway, kicked off in 2007. Merritt made his mark by winning the Fort Meade qualifier with a 387-yard drive. He finished third in the Mesquite finals.

After a break in 2008, he came back again with a 364-yard, first-place finish in 2009 at the Fort Belvoir Golf Club and earned another trip to the Silver State.

This year, a 387-yard bomb at Belvoir punched his ticket on the way to the championship once more.

According to Stephen Greiner, Fort Belvoir Golf Club head PGA professional, Merritt topped fifteen competitors who combined for 30 tries to hit the longest drive and advance to the National Military Long Drive regional qualifier in Dallas.

"This is the third time I've competed, so I'm three for three," Merritt said. "Just got to win the big one now."

He'll have his chance Nov. 3, when the tournament moves into its fourth year.

Merritt recently had knee surgery, which he feared would keep him from competing again this year, but he was cleared by his surgeon a few weeks ago. With that hurdle behind him, he went back to hitting balls, the first real golf he's played since the last Military Long Drive.

Still, his plan is simple. "The mentality and game plan are simple: I know what I can do, so do it," he said. "Make a good swing and hit it real hard."

Not much has changed since Merritt last competed, though he's been a bit busier outside of golf. He says he spent time following his sons to track meets and "chasing" his wife around during half-marathons. "I'm down about 15 pounds from 2007 and it's actually made a bit of a difference swinging the club, and not in a good way," he said.

Despite this, golf is never far from his mind. "I'm always thinking about golf and my golf swing, so regardless of how little I play, I can always execute a solid swing," he said.

Merritt's ultimate goal was nothing less than a first-place finish at Belvoir to ensure another trip to the finals, particularly after a lackluster appearance last year. "For me, last year was so disappointing since I didn't make it to the final round. I just didn't perform well," he said. "After finishing third from the first year, I was looking to improve and I didn't. It was a long flight home from Nevada.

"Competing is fun and there is always something you'll learn about yourself through competition, but I have never participated in any golf event and not put winning as the priority," Merritt continued.

Initially a skeptic who was convinced he was done after his initial outing in 2007, Merritt now sees a lengthy future in the Military Long Drive. "I've always considered myself a golfer and never thought much of these events," he said. "But ... hitting a golf ball a long way is something I've done since I started playing at 10. It's the one part of my game that does not need repetition. Now I've learned to enjoy and appreciate these Long Drive events.

"[Everyone] has done a superb job in making this event as great as it is," he added. "I'll participate in it as long as I can compete with a legitimate chance to win."