Trending

Advertisement

Athlete of the Week: Negishi boosting RB High golf to new heights

Share

The golf club was over a foot too long, but Taisei Negishi had watched his dad swat golf balls at the driving range long enough. It was time for him to take a swing.

Negishi, who was 9 and living in Hawaii at the time, grabbed one of his father’s golf clubs and stepped up to the tee. Little did he know he was going to find his passion in the next few moments.

“I hit it pretty well,” recalled Negishi, now a junior at Rancho Bernardo High. “I thought it was pretty cool. That got me hooked on golf.”

He spent the next few years battling the constant rain on the Big Island golf courses. Then, before his freshman year of high school, he and his family moved to San Diego. Hello sunshine.

“The reason why I moved was for academics and golf,” he said. “It was a real win-win situation for me.”

And for the Broncos.

Negishi has settled in as one of the top golfers in the San Diego Section. He helped Rancho Bernardo finish second at the state championships last season by firing a team-best 1-over-par 72 at San Gabriel Country Club. That was good enough for 13th place individually.

“He is just an all-around consistent player,” Rancho Bernardo coach Rich Deem said. “He hits it long, has a great short game and putts good. When he puts it all together he can go really low. But if he is not on all cylinders, other parts of his game pick it up.”

Negishi knew nothing about perennial section power Torrey Pines when he arrived in San Diego. But he quickly found out his freshman year that the Broncos were not the top team in the county.

“We went against Torrey and got crushed,” he said. “We hadn’t lost any matches up to that point. I was like, ‘whoa, there is a school better than us.’ That is when it hit me that they were a powerhouse.”

Taking down that powerhouse has been at the top of his priority list ever since. This season, for the first time in school history, the Broncos beat the Falcons twice in league play at Admiral Baker Golf Course to win their first Palomar League title since 2010.

Negishi carded a 2-under 70 to earn medalist honors in the first win. He was co-medalist in the second victory over the Falcons, shooting a 72.

“I thought it would come sooner or later,” Negishi said of beating Torrey Pines. “After beating them twice, our team really believes that we can win the section title this year.”

The Falcons have won the section championship five years in a row. The Broncos were runner-ups the last three years. Putting an end to Torrey Pines’ run has been Rancho Bernardo’s main focus for years.

“That has been a motivation ever since my freshman year,” Negishi said. “I have always wanted to end that streak. I am pretty sure everyone on our team has wanted to end that streak for a long time.”

Negishi, who is actively being recruited by colleges, watched former teammate Franklin Huang win the individual section championship last year. He hopes he can follow in his footsteps this season.

“Franklin mentioned that it was my turn next year after he won,” Negishi said. “Hopefully I can live up to that. I am going to try.”

The first round of the section championships is May 19 at Admiral Baker Golf Course. The final round is slated for May 21.

Advertisement