Game improves for OPHS golfer Trevor James

By Kyle Jorrey Acorn Sports Writer

A NATURAL- Trevor James, defending Tri-Valley League Player of the Year, prepares to head over to Calabasas Country Club to put in some early morning work on the course. His father, Don, credits James' determined work ethic as the key to his success.

Defending Tri-Valley League Player of the Year Trevor James admits he has picked up a guilty obsession away from the game of golf—an obsession more commonly known as "Texas Hold ’Em."

And though the Oak Park senior knows it’s a risk every time he lays down his cards in a game of poker, one thing that’s a sure bet is James’ skill on the course, which last year established him among California’s best young golfers. In addition to taking first place in league, the 16-year-old also finished in the top 24 in the CIF Northern Regional before bowing out in his first ever state championship appearance.

"Going into last year I had a goal for myself to be the No. 1 golfer in league, and I really wanted to prove something," said James, who was only the third golfer in Oak Park history to advance to the CIF finals. "I know there are a lot of good golfers (in the area) and I wanted to show I could compete with them, and even beat them, and that’s what I did."

As a junior, James was a medalist in three league tournaments, shooting an average score of 73.60 as Oak Park’s top golfer. Although his team was runner-up to St. Bonaventure in the Tri-Valley’s final standings—it was certainly not because of the play of James, who had four second-place finishes and led the Eagles in scoring in nearly every tournament during the season. At the first league contest held at Olivas Park, James shot a career-best 68 to medal.

"Even though our team was kind of weak, that just kept me going individually," he said. "I still wanted the team to succeed, but I knew I had needed to play well for myself this year and continue to try and get better."

James first picked up a golf club at the tender age of 5, when his father, Don, took his son along on one of their countless trips to the course. Now a coach at Oak Park High School, Don James saw something in his son’s game from the very beginning.

"Even when he was young, the swing was always beautiful," he remembered. "He was always coordinated—even when he played hockey and baseball, he just always had a real natural, smooth swing."

According to James, having his dad as a coach has been a mixed blessing.

"It’s fun having him out there, and it’s getting him out playing the game again," James said. "He’s always coached and helped me my whole life, so I’m used to it. But sometimes when I’m not doing well, I kind of yell at him and try to make it his fault."

When the younger James isn’t taking tips from his father, he’s always welcome to the idea of a little family competition. The pair often go head-to-head in a game of skins, where the winner is the player who gets the lowest score on the most number of holes.

"(When we play) he somehow gets into my head, and he’s able to beat me, but it’s fun though," James said. "But we don’t play a lot of stroke play because he knows that just wouldn’t be fair."

Competing locally around the age of 13, James quickly began to bring home accolades from tournaments around Ventura County. Practicing nearly every day he could on his home course, the Calabasas Country Club, James was often confronted with the difficult decision that all dedicated high school athletes must face—spend time practicing or spend time with friends?

"I knew if I wanted to play at the level I wanted to play at I had to put a lot of hours in," James said. "Sometimes I have to pass up hanging out and playing cards with my friends so I can go and hit a bucket of balls and putt."

That kind of dedication is what has lead James to become one of the area’s top local golfers, and what he hopes will take him even further next year.

He said he is shooting to break former Camarillo standout Colin Wilcox’s league-record 68 scoring average, and expects to contend for a medal at next year’s state finals.

"Last season, it was kind of like I was just happy to be there, to have gotten that load off my shoulders," James said. "I tried to just coast instead of playing my game . . . this year I’ll go in with the attitude that I want to win it."