Japanese Import Drives With the Boys

The Westlake High golf team has numerous attributes:

* A reputation as one of the top golf teams in the area.

* A string of four consecutive Marmonte League titles.

* An alumni list that includes numerous current and former NCAA Division I golfers.

* And a state championship trophy, won in 1987. No other high school trophy case in the area includes such a prize.

And now Westlake has Linda Ishii, the first female golfer to make the starting six at Westlake.

Ishii, a senior, has played on the team since her freshman year but has not been in the top six. She plays with the boys because the Southern Section does not offer girls’ golf, an omission she doesn’t seem to mind.

“I like to be the only girl,” she said. “It makes me feel special.”

She should feel special.

Ishii is the first girl to make the roster of the highly regarded Warriors, let alone be a starter.

“We had girls come out for the team,” said Warrior assistant Dan McDermott, who has been at Westlake since 1978 and was the head coach from 1991-95. “But most of them were recreational golfers not thinking that this was a serious CIF sport.”

McDermott said that when Ishii came out, he knew she was different.

“She has unbelievable skills,” he said. “She hits it perfectly straight every time and is deadly with her putter. She has all kinds of talent.”

Ishii, who will attend USC on a women’s golf scholarship next season, started the sport as a 10-year-old fresh in California from her native Japan.

She has played behind some of the most-talented players in the area at Westlake--including her brother Koji, who won the Marmonte League individual title in 1993.

After flirting with a top-six spot last season, Ishii has cracked the starting lineup at No. 5 and is a key factor in making the Warriors not just the team to beat in the Marmonte League but in the Southern Section.

Three starters, each shooting in the mid-to-low-70s, return from a team that finished second in the section and third in the state last season.

Senior Ross Fulgentis, a state individual tournament qualifier last year who will attend UCLA on a golf scholarship in the fall, leads the pack. Seniors Matt McCrite and Alex Kuyumjian, who both qualified for the Southern Section individual tournament last year, also return.

Rounding out the starting lineup are freshman sensation J.T. Kohut, who fired a 74 at North Ranch Country Club last week and is emerging as the next Westlake superstar, and junior Andy Sirivicha, who played in the Warriors’ sixth and seventh spots last season.

Ishii shoots in the high 70s and low 80s, often defeating her male counterparts while playing from the championship tees as mandated by state high school rules.

Only 5 feet 3, she averages a modest 210 yards off the tee but compensates with accuracy and consistency.

“Those guys out-drive me by a lot,” she said. “So I have to be as accurate as possible and get up and down. They don’t talk about it to me, but I don’t think they like it when I beat them.”

For this season, however, it appears they better get used to it.

OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH:

Hart: The winners of six consecutive Foothill League championships, the Indians rival Westlake as the area’s best team. State individual tournament qualifier Jason Semelsberger, who has signed to play at UCLA next year, leads the way. Sophomore Charlie Smith has been hot--pushing Semelsberger for the top spot. Freshman Ryan Wyman is accurate with his putter, and Brian Buck, runner-up in the league individual tournament last season, is also back for his senior season. Carlos Robledo, Brandon Wallace and Mike Farris can all shoot near par, giving the Indians depth and balance.

Buena: Five players return for the well-balanced Bulldogs, who finished second in the tough Channel League last season. Seniors Nate Whitson, Greg Phelan and Dan Prodoehl are experienced. Sophomores Dusty Morton and Drew Weilbacher, who played as freshmen, add depth.

Harvard-Westlake: The Mission League title is up for grabs, and the Wolverines, who finished third last season, are in the hunt with four returning starters. Brian Rosenstein, a junior who has finished third in the league individual tournament the past two years, could take the title this season. Chris Getto, last year’s league runner-up, is also back but hasn’t played yet because he’s a member of the basketball team that plays for the state title Saturday. Coach Gary Thran is looking for depth from a pool of four sophomores.

Alemany: The Indians are another strong contender in the Mission League. Matt Heyn, who won the league individual title two years ago, leads a group of three returning starters. Heyn, a long hitter, blasts 275-300 yard drives and recently aced a 192-yard par-3 hole with a five-iron. Sophomore Brian Woolf and senior Chuck Ruiz are also back from last season’s second-place team. If Alan Taylor returns strong from arm surgery and Notre Dame transfer Mike Scott fits in, Alemany will be very deep.

Flintridge Prep: Four sophomore starters return from last season’s 18-0 squad, led by Russell Surber, who qualified for last season’s State individual tournament. Andy Brisbos shoots in the high 70s, while Louis Lee and Bill Doyle each average in the mid-80s. Last season, the Rebels won the 32-team DeBell tournament.

Granada Hills: Darren Angel, the three-time City Section individual champion, graduated and perhaps took with him the Highlanders’ hopes of defending the City team title they have won three consecutive years. Coach Joe White had high hopes entering the season, but must now do without his two top players. Brian Vranesh is currently academically and Joey Daugherty transferred. That leaves seniors Ben Krug and Richard Samuelson, who shoot in the high 70s, to carry the load. Chris Penman shoots in the 80s.

Birmingham: Junior Greg Goodfried finished second in the City Section individual tournament last season, and is a strong candidate to take the title this season. Also back for the Braves is Greg Prunty, a solid senior. Freshman Keith Romar has cracked the lineup, shooting in the low 80s. If Ken Nakanishi, who has been suspended from the team for disciplinary reasons, returns for league matches, look for the Braves to contend for the City 5-A title.

Also Notable: State tournament qualifiers Sean Oriti, Tyler Foster and Jordan DiNapoli return for Grant, which seems ready to challenge for the City title. . . . St. Francis may be the surprise of the Mission League with four returners, led by four-year letterman Bryan Lerma and sophomore Riley Marshall, who has moved into the No. 1 spot. . . . Four-year starter Clark Pingree and three sophomores who have each shot 36 over nine holes put Notre Dame in the Mission League title race. . . . Thousand Oaks, which shot 415 as a team last week, will be in the thick of the Marmonte League race with seniors Kevin Loustat and Josh Kim leading the way.