SPRING REVIEW / GOLF : Taft Double-Bogeys on Campus but Goes Unbeaten on Course

Every time Marc Riches walks into his algebra class at Taft High, he receives a lesson in humility.

Not from the teacher, but from his classmates, who essentially ignore him. The Taft student body reserves most of its adulation and high fives for the real sports stars on campus--like football player Monty Gilbreath and basketball player Kevin Franklin.

“Everyone says hello to those guys but they don’t say much when I walk into class,” Riches said. “There are no crowds for the golf team, no cheerleaders. We do it alone. But that’s OK because golf is an individual sport. When you hit a bad shot, there’s no one to blame but yourself.”

There haven’t been too many of those by the Taft team this season. The Toreadors were 10-0 this season and won the 5-A League title Friday with a 396 score at Griffith Park. Taft is favored to win the City championship, which would be the school’s fifth title since Coach Carl Kratzle took over the program in 1974.

The City championship will be played May 19-20 at the Wilson and Harding golf courses at Griffith Park.

Virtually every member of the varsity and junior varsity teams are from the country club set. Sophomore Roger Makemson’s family belongs to two--one in the Valley and another in Palm Springs.

“That’s Woodland Hills,” Kratzle said with a grin at a team practice this week at Sepulveda Golf Course. “Most of the kids are rich and affluent enough that they have their own pros. Everyone’s gotten at least one lesson from a pro.”

For two of the players, that pro is a member of the family. Brothers Marshall and Dave Solomon are nephews of Morris Hatalsky, a touring professional on the PGA circuit. The Solomons play golf with their uncle about twice a year, and a few years ago when older brother Fred was a team member, Hatalsky came to Woodland Hills and conducted a clinic for the Taft team.

Taft is a team of underclassmen. Riches and Danny Greenberg, both juniors, shoot in the low to middle 70s. Greenberg placed fourth in the Los Angeles junior championship at Griffith Park in March. Dave Solomon won the ‘B’ flight for 14- and 15-year-olds in the same tournament.

Taft’s starting lineup is Riches, Greenberg, the Solomons, Makemson, John Hartung and P.J. Stewart. In dual match scoring, the top five rounds from seven players are used. Taft consistently shoots under 400.

Riches and Greenberg are the team’s top players, but the most valuable player may be Brian Minkow.

Minkow, a sophomore, is ineligible to compete because of an F he received in an algebra class, but his contribution as an instructor has been invaluable. His teammates say he has a special knack for helping their games.

Said Makemson: “I take lessons at the country club, but the one who helps me most is Brian. He spots things that pros can’t. He doesn’t change your swing. He just changes what’s wrong.”

Kratzle said this year’s team may become more successful than the 1979-80 teams that featured Duffy Waldorf, last year’s Pacific 10 champion. Waldorf, who plays on the Asian tour, is an inspiration to the current Toreadors.

“We were all rooting for him last year at the Pac-10 tournament,” Riches said. “We see that and see that it can happen here. Someone from Woodland Hills can go out and be somebody.

“Everybody’s got a dream to be a star, but I know not everyone is going to make it. I’ve got to go after it and give it my best shot.”

The City tournament will be his first chance for fame. The Toreadors hope it will be a prelude to the Southern California Golf Assn. championship in June at the Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake. Taft finished second in that tournament during Waldorf’s years but has never won.

“We should win league and the City with no problem; top three in state would be nice,” Greenberg said, referring to the SCGA tournament. “And there are no seniors, so next year we hope to do it.”

North Hollywood is another City team to watch. It has last year’s individual City champion, Chris Barbour, the son of television personality John Barbour. Chris ranks No. 2 man on this year’s team, however. Alex Woodson is No. 1.

Westlake, runaway champion in the Marmonte League, is one of 11 Valley-area teams to qualify for Southern Section regional tournaments. Also qualifying in the southern regional are Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Agoura, Calabasas, Canyon and Saugus. The southern regional is scheduled for Monday at Olivas Golf Course in Ventura.

Qualifying in the central regional are Alemany, Burbank, L.A. Baptist, and Harvard. The central regional is scheduled for Tuesday at El Prado golf course.

The top three teams in four regionals meet May 19 at La Cumbre Country Club in Santa Barbara for the Southern Section team championship. The top two teams from that tournament advance to the SCGA finals with two City teams, two San Diego-area and two Fresno-area teams.

Five Valley-area players emerged from the Southern Section championships on May 5 as qualifiers for the SCGA individual championship at Lakeside in June. Qualifying with rounds of 73 at the California Country Club were Dave Berganio of Alemany and Jimmy Chang and James Kim of Westlake. Also qualifying was L.A. Baptist’s Kevin Eden, who shot a 74, and Keith Thykeson of Simi Valley, who shot a 75.