Oda would love to follow in mentor Ishii’s path

David Ishii has a few words of wisdom for John Oda when he tees it up in the 120th British Amateur Championship on Monday at Carnoustie Golf Links and Panmure Golf Club in Scotland.

"Stay away from the haggis," Ishii warns.

He is speaking from experience, and not really serious. Who wouldn’t want to try Scotland’s traditional pudding, made primarily of sheep or calf innards and originally boiled in the stomach of the animal?

Not surprisingly, there are a few more important bits of advice Ishii would offer Oda, who began golfing at 3 and started taking it seriously six years later when he took lessons from the Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer. Ishii, who turns 60 next month, has been a mentor ever since, much as he has with many Hawaii juniors.

"David is kind and generous," says Oda, who would love to follow in Ishii’s footsteps on the Japan tour. "And quite funny once you know him well."

Ishii’s resume includes a win at the 1990 Hawaiian Open, 14 more in Japan — he was the first foreigner to lead the money list, in 1987 — and state high school (1973) and NCAA (1977 with Houston) championships.

He won the Manoa Cup 38 years ago, along with almost every other major local tournament, and has played in the Masters, British and Senior British Opens. On June 25, he will tee off in the 36th U.S. Senior Open Championship, at Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, Calif.

Oda is getting there, after an eye-popping freshman season at UNLV.

The Moanalua graduate won two state high school and state amateur titles before heading to Las Vegas. In 2012, he helped Na Menehune become the only OIA state champion since 1980, played the Sony Open in Hawaii and lost a playoff for the Hawaii Pearl Open championship.

He had seven top 10s as a freshman, including a victory in his fifth collegiate start, and led the Rebels with a 71.11 stroke average.

"It was very challenging with school, golf, strength training," Oda said. "However, my grades were good."

Oda is 58th in the World Golf Amateur Ranking and playing the British Amateur — where English oddsmakers give him a 66-1 shot at winning — on one of two exemptions offered by the U.S. Golf Association.

"When he played Sony was right around when he really started playing a lot better," Ishii recalls. "A lot of it was due to putting. He started gaining confidence.

"He could manage his game from a young age. His mental part of the game was really mature. He is not afraid, he looks forward to challenges. He did well right off the bat in college."

Like Ishii, Oda has a passion for the game. They show it very differently.

Ishii is always introspective on the course, as he was while grinding out pars in difficult conditions at the Hoakalei qualifier last month. He shot 72, beating Kevin Hayashi by a shot to reach his fourth U.S. Senior Open. After months of battling injuries, it was a surprise.

"I didn’t expect to qualify because the Mid-Pac Open (in April) was the first time I’d played since November and I did not play good," said Ishii, who is playing a Japan senior event this week in Ibaraki. "I didn’t know Hoakalei too well, I was just trying to make as many pars as I could. I guess everybody had a hard time."

Oda’s passion is written all over his face when he plays.

"He just thrives on that energy of being in an environment where everybody is trying to get better," Ishii says. "He just loves that. A lot of people get into that environment and get a little gun-shy and nervous. With him, it’s the opposite. It motivates him and he excels."

It is the highest praise Ishii can give a golfer. The greatest advice he can give Oda in Scotland — on the course where Jean van de Velde let the 1999 Open get away with triple-bogey on the 72nd hole — is to find, and intently listen to, a local caddie.

"I think that’s the main thing when you go to Scotland or links courses," Ishii says. "You’ve got to listen to the locals. When I went to the British Open the first time, in the practice round the wind was one direction and I thought, ‘Oh, this course is not too bad.’ The first day of the tournament the wind was in the opposite direction and I started hitting into bunkers I didn’t see in the practice round.

"The wind direction changes the course totally so you have to have somebody with local knowledge because you don’t know a lot."

Ishii will be one of 77 qualifiers in Sacramento. Exempt players include Hawaii’s Scott Simpson and Dave Eichelberger, along with Hale Irwin, Vijay Singh and Kiyoshi Murota.

Ishii’s goal is to finally make an Open cut. He hopes three straight events in Japan leading into the Senior Open will help — "At least I’ve had a lot of practice this time."