John Mallinger was competing in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae on Aug. 3, 2017, when he couldn’t resist checking his phone.
It was the middle of a competitive round, but there it was, a text from the CEO of Travis Mathew confirming that the apparel company he co-founded had been sold to Callaway Golf for the princely sum of $125.5 million. Mallinger read the rest of the message, which said, “Come meet us in Lake Tahoe. We’re going to celebrate!” Without giving it a second thought Mallinger did something he’d never done before: he withdrew on the spot claiming a sore back.
Mallinger, who competed in 187 PGA Tour events, recording a pair of seconds and winning nearly $7 million in earnings, essentially retired from professional golf that day. (He did play in the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Pro-Am in 2018 and 2019 and made one PGA Tour start at the 2018 Farmers Insurance Open, and has played in the unofficial Pebble Beach Invitational, which he won in 2010.) In the ensuing five years since striking it rich, Mallinger, 43, has passed the time coaching his two sons in baseball and enjoying a regular golf game at his club, but what he’s most proud of is The Give, a charity golf tournament being held for the fourth time on Monday, which has allowed him to give back in ways he never imagined when he was scratching out a living on golf’s mini tours.
John Mallinger at his charity golf tournament, The Give, includes live music at the pre- and post-round festivities. (Adam Schupak/Golfweek)
Mallinger grew up in San Diego, where he learned to play golf thanks to his older brother, Joe. In 1997, he joined the Long Beach State men’s golf team, which practiced at Virginia Country Club, an A.W. Tillinghast and William P. Bell design that has stood the test of time.
Mallinger turned pro in 2000, and quickly burned through the money his parents gave him to chase his dream of playing professionally. Mallinger said he was on the verge of quitting, but then Jamie Mulligan, Virginia’s pro and the 2021 PGA of America Teacher and Coach of the Year, breathed new life into Mallinger’s playing career.
“We had one good week together,” Mallinger recalled. “I played the Long Beach Open and finished second. I won $15,000. I thought I was rich. He definitely kick-started my career. Because of him and Virginia, they let me practice and play and do whatever I needed to do to get better.”
Another “life changer” for Mallinger was…
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