FORT WORTH, Texas (Feb. 26, 2025) – The Ben Hogan Award Foundation and Friends of Golf (FOG) have announced that Marlin “Cricket” Musch, a former All-American player, accomplished college coach and longtime golf industry executive, is the recipient of the 2025 Eddie Merrins Award.
Created in 2022, the Eddie Merrins Award honors individuals who are highly regarded for their service, dedication and contributions to college and amateur golf while upholding the highest standards, values and ethics of the game. Musch will be honored at the Ben Hogan Award Dinner at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 19.
The founder of FOG, Merrins was instrumental in the formation of the Ben Hogan Trophy, which was first issued at Bel-Air Country Club in 1990. Affectionately known as “The Little Pro,” he stayed involved as a key figure in the award following its move to Colonial in 2002. Merrins passed away on Nov. 22, 2023. Previous winners of the Eddie Merrins Award include Merrins (2022), Bill Montigel (2023) and Gregg Grost (2024).
“Cricket is universally known and respected throughout college golf,” said Harold Muckleroy, Chairman of the Ben Hogan Award. “Very few people have impacted or grown the college and amateur game as much as Cricket, and we are extremely pleased to honor him for all of his contributions to the sport.”
Musch started the UTEP varsity program, which had previously been a club sport, and was the head coach from 1981-90. In 1988, the Miners shared national runner-up honors with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, finishing only three shots behind Merrins’ champion UCLA Bruins. Musch received the NCAA Division I Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award that year. UTEP made it back to the NCAA Championships in 1989 as Musch earned Regional Coach of the Year honors.
In all, Musch, a three-time Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year, led the Miners to the 1985 WAC Championship, six national championship appearances and coached 10 All-Americans.
Musch has spent the last 30 years in the golf and sports industry, first as the Executive Director of the Sun Bowl and El Paso Sun Carnival Association, where he ran the Sun Bowl College All-America Golf Classic from 1990-92.
The Alamogordo, N.M., native then spent 12 years at PING as Director of College and Amateur Player Development (1992-98), where he started the PING/Golfweek Preview, and as Director of Tournament Player Relations (1998-2003), where he oversaw PING’s endorsement deals with more than 50 golfers worldwide.
From 2003-07, Musch was the Director of Business Development and the Player Manager at Gaylord Sports Management in Scottsdale, Ariz., directing the collegiate athletics management division and managing all aspects of player representation. His clients included U.S. Amateur champions and Ben Hogan Award winners Ricky Barnes and Ryan Moore as well as Hogan Award recipient Matt Every.
He has spent nearly two decades with Nike, first as Golf Sports Marketing Director of College and Amateur Development (2007-21) that included leading relations for the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational (now Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational) and most recently as a consultant for Nike Golf Sports Marketing.
Musch played at New Mexico State (1972-76), where he earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in 1975 and won a pair of individual tournament titles. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and government in 1976. He was inducted into the New Mexico State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Hall of Fame in 2023. Musch is also a member of the Ben Hogan Award Committee.
–www.TheBenHoganAward.org–
