Martin and Moon are the Knight’s odd couple

Published 11:17 pm Tuesday, March 24, 2009

MUKILTEO — Seo Hee Moon and Reid Martin are golf’s version of the odd couple.

At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Martin has nearly a foot and well over 100 pounds on the 5-foot-5, 117-pound Moon.

The differences extend to their golf games, too. Martin’s strength, according to his coach, Jeff Tobin, lies in his power. Moon is all about accuracy.

But Moon and Martin have much in common. Both are extraordinarily talented golfers. Both are Class 4A state champions. And both attend Kamiak High School.

Together, they are the faces of a golfing renaissance at Kamiak.

As a freshman in 2007, Moon won Class 4A state, smashing the individual record by shooting a blistering 7-under-par.

“She was like a machine,” Kamiak girls coach Bud Davis recalled, “She’d hit it in the middle of the fairway over and over.”

Martin won his state championship last year as a junior, using long drives to carve up the competition.

“Reid’s obviously a power player — he launches the ball,” Tobin said. “But he’s a very golf smart. He knows when to take chances and when not to.”

In the past two seasons, the Kamiak boys and girls have won three Class 4A state team titles: The boys placed first in 2007 and 2008. (The 2007 title was the first boy’s championship in school history in any sport.) The Kamiak girls won state in 2007, setting a 4A record with 174 team points, then placed third last spring.

“It’s been really terrific,” Tobin said of Kamiak’s recent run of success. “(I’m) beyond thrilled, it’s pretty special.”

Tobin and Davis each lent their top golfers to The Herald recently for three holes of golf at Harbour Pointe Golf Course in Mukilteo. It was strictly for fun, no score keeping allowed. The goal was just to watch Moon and Martin in action.

Style and appearance aside, there are plenty of similarities between the two. Both had extra exposure to the sport of golf: Moon’s father owns the Longshots Driving Range in Everett, Martin’s family lives on the 14th hole of Harbour Pointe Golf Course. Both agree that staying mentally positive is a huge part of being a successful golfer. And if their college plans are any indication, both of them value warm weather: Martin, a senior, committed to play for the University of Central Florida next year. Moon, a junior, wants to go to school in California.

Moon and Martin were kind enough to provide a running commentary on their thought process as they played.

Martin teed off first. “When Reid plays Harbour Pointe, he very seldom uses the driver,” Tobin explained later. “He can hit it hard enough with other clubs.”

The first shot of a round is one of the most difficult, Moon said. “It sets the tone for what you’re going to do.” Her favorite shot, she explained later, is the approach shot, because it requires the most accuracy.

The difference between Martin and Moon was perhaps seen most clear on the second hole. Moon hit a tee shot that landed in the middle of the fairway. Martin smacked a shot wide left. In the end, though, they reached the green in the same number of strokes.

They agree that Martin is the more aggressive golfer, but otherwise don’t see too much difference between themselves.

“It’s pretty simple,” Moon said. “You get the distance right and you hit it straight.”

They also enjoyed lobbing compliments at each other.

“She’s going to be a great golfer,” Martin said of Moon, who earlier this year was ranked 152 in the nation out of 1,677 top junior golfers by the American Junior Golf Association’s scoreboard.

“So are you,” Moon shot back.

Martin and Moon, of course, have had plenty of help from their teammates at state.

For the girls, Kamiak’s Rachel Choi tied for 11th place at state as a sophomore last year. Rachel Brown and Najin Kwak also qualified state.

For the boys, Mark Strickland tied for 11th place at state as a sophomore and graduated seniors John Carey and Dylan Goodwin (third place at state) were big contributors.

According to Tobin, Jackson is the boys team to beat in the Wesco South this year because it is returning a lot of experienced golfers.

“Obviously at the top with Reid and Mark we’re in great shape,” Tobin said. “The 3-6 spots will determine whether we can make a run for it.”

Davis said the girls will receive challenges in the Wesco South from Edmonds-Woodway and in the Wesco North from Snohomish, Everett and possibly Glacier Peak.

But both Moon and Martin are cautiously optimistic about the coming year.

“I feel a couple guys are stepping up already,” Martin said. “We lost two big chunks of our team, but I still think we can win state again.”

“I think we’re going to be pretty good,” Moon added. “Maybe not as good as my freshman year, that was incredible, but I think we can place in the top three again.”