Long Beach announces inductees for the 2024 Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame (2024)

Three new members will be inducted into the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame, the city announced this week.

The Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame will welcome longtime Long Beach residents and golfers Larry Benson, Jeff Evans and Brett Lederer as members. There will be a public ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 4.

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine created the city’s Golf Hall of Fame in 1996 to recognize individuals who “left their mark on golf in Long Beach.” Inductees can be players, coaches, administrators, volunteers or individuals who offer financial support to the hall of fame, and must have a tie to Long Beach, according to the city’s website.

“We are honored to welcome Larry, Jeff and Brett to the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame and acknowledge their wonderful achievements and enduring contributions to golf in Long Beach,” Brent Dennis, the department’s director, said in a Monday, July 22, press release.

“This exceptional group has not only demonstrated excellence on the course, but has also served as invaluable mentors and coaches, shaping the skills and passion of golfers at every level, from juniors through high school and beyond, to the professional arena,” Dennis said. “I extend my thanks to the Hall of Fame Committee members for their diligent and thoughtful efforts in recognizing these outstanding individuals.”

This year’s induction brings the total number of honorees to 94.

The induction ceremony will follow the conclusion of the Long Beach Open professional golf tournament at El Dorado Park Golf Course on Aug. 4, at approximately 2:30 p.m.

“The city of Long Beach has a rich tradition of good golf, good golfers and great tournaments,” Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame Committee Chairman Bob Livingston said in a statement. “We want to acknowledge those people who were born or have lived in Long Beach and excelled at the game or made it better for those who play it. These inductees represent what is good about golf in general and golf in Long Beach in particular, and we are happy we can bring in another class in 2024.”

Larry Benson

Benson grew up learning the game of golf in Long Beach, and got his first job as a range attendant at Skylinks Golf Course under fellow Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame member Frank Newell, Sr. Benson had a good junior and prep career, winning the Lakewood and Los Alamitos Golf Course junior championships against much older players and was runner-up in the SoCal Junior Championship. He was the number one player on the 1963 Millikan High School team that won the boys team CIF championship. He played for UCLA, where he was a four-year letterman and was named an honorable mention All-American in 1969.

Following his college years, Benson served as a Lieutenant junior grade in the U.S. Navy. He worked as head Pro at several courses, including Heartwll, El Dorado and the Sepulveda course in Los Angeles. While the head professional at El Dorado Golf Course, he notably persuaded future World Golf Hall of Fame member Fred Couples to turn pro on a whim at the Queen Mary Open after Couples arrived too late to register for the amateur qualifier.

Benson won the 1974 Southern California Assistant PGA Professional Championship, the Andy William San Diego Open in 1978 and 1979, and qualified twice for the Bob Hope Desert Classic. He is now retired and living with his wife, Judi, in North Carolina.

Jeff Evans

Evans served as the head boys and girls golf coach at Wilson High School for many years. He was the head boys coach from 2007 to 2019, and again in 2021, during which the team won 14 Moore League championships and two CIF championships, and were undefeated in Moore League matches, 146-0. Evans was the head girls golf coach from 2006 to 2018, and again in 2021, guiding the team to 13 Moore League championships. He was also the boys golf team head coach at St. John Bosco High School from 2001 to 2006 and served on the CIF Southern Section Golf Advisory Committee for 15 years.

Evans was the 2015 California Coaches Association Boys Golf Coach of the Year; has been named Boys Golf Coach of the Year seven times and Girls Golf Coach of the Year five times by the Press-Telegram; and was named the Long Beach Century Club High School Coach of the Year in 2017.

As a player, Evans was the Skylinks Men’s Club champion in 2001 and played on the Skylinks team that won Southern California Public Links Golf Association Team Championship in 2000 and 2005. He also played on the Southern California Professional League Golf Association team that won the 2007 Southwest Team Championship.

Evans is also a volunteer golf instructor for Little Linksters, gives weekly Long Beach Junior Golf League group lessons and has volunteered with the Long Beach Golf Festival for 13 years.

Brett Lederer

Lederer is a Long Beach State golf team alumni who played professionally for 12 years before establishing himself as a renowned golf instructor and coach out of Virginia Country Club. Lederer played with the Long Beach Junior Golf Association as a youth, winning the 1998 and 1999 LB Junior Championship and the 2001 Knabe Cup. The Long Beach native excelled on the Mayfair High School golf team, where he was the Suburban League champion in 2002. He served as team captain for LBSU, where he was a four-year letter winner, helping the team capture its first Big West team championship in 31 years in 2004. He also won the men’s Big West individual championship in 2007.

In 2003 and 2007, Lederer won the Long Beach Men’s City Stroke Play Championship before making his pro debut in the Long Beach Open. He played on the Golden State Tour from 2007 to 2009, and on the Nationwide Tour in 2010, securing a top-10 finish at the WNB Golf Classic. Much of his professional career was spent on the Adams Tour, winning the 2008 Rising Star Open and earning three second place and four third-place finishes, as well as on the PGA Tour Canada, where he earned three top-10 finishes and 17 top-25 finishes over six seasons.

For the past five years, Lederer has been coaching full-time at Virginia Country Club, giving lessons to dozens of club members, as well as some notable professional students, including TJ Vogel, who had a win on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022; and Lilia Vu, who won four times on the LPGA Tour in 2023, rising to be the number one ranked woman player in the world, and captured her first and second women’s major championships at the AIG British Open and the Chevron Championship.

Lederer has also recently begun working with Gabi Ruffles who is a leading contender for 2024 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

For more information on the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame, visit the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine’s webpage.

Originally Published: July 24, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.