Perhaps you’ve heard of Sydney Yermish, a phenomenal golfer and state champion who recently graduated from LM. Now, LM has a new golf prodigy on the rise: Seiji Sako ’26.
This season, Sako was one of just seventy golfers who made it to the state championship out of over eight thousand competitors. To do this, he had to fight his way through numerous intense, arduous qualifiers.
The state championship consisted of two rounds at Penn State, where Sako enjoyed a pregame waffle “so huge it probably had about three thousand calories.” Needless to say, it fueled a remarkable performance. On day one, he hit four under par and had a spectacular eagle on the 18th and final hole of the day. When day two rolled around, Sako was sitting in fourth place with one hole to go. If he pulled off an eagle once more, he would win first place. A birdie would give him a tie, and a playoff for the championship. Sako’s putt for a birdie just barely missed, and so he finished at a still extremely impressive fourth place. Sako, who missed states last year, was the youngest competitor to place in the top 30!
A humble competitor, Sako stated that he did not want to be a “Face of the Ace,” and he was very difficult to score an interview with. When asked about the massive stakes, Sako responded that, “obviously with over 100 people following me there was a lot of pressure, but at the same time, it was equally exciting.” Next year, he feels that, “it will definitely be difficult to improve on my placement, but there’s a lot of things I can work on, and winning districts is a big goal of mine.” Coach Fireman thinks “Seiji worked hard to get to where he is, and he deserves a lot of praise.” She also believes that “there’s a really good chance LM is going to have another golf state champion real soon.” In response to the level of talent that has gone through her program, she humbly stated, “I just got lucky as a coach, it’s obviously my job to support the kids and help bring out their potential, but their hard work and talent is what makes them exceptional.”
Classmate and friend Owen Turner ’26 believes “Seiji Sako is going to be the Tiger Woods of our generation,” since his performance this year was truly exceptional. One thing is for sure: the sky’s the limit for him. Asher Abella ’26 recalls once asking, “Seiji, do you play golf?” but now has a serious sense of respect and admiration for his peer. Indeed, Seiji’s accomplishments as a sophomore are phenomenal, and every member of LM should be proud and impressed.
