Dental Arts of Westwood Athlete of The Month:
Lillian Guleserian

With a visible sense of purpose and confidence, Lillian Guleserian approaches the practice green at Longmeadow Country Club to join her teammates on the Westwood High School varsity golf team before an early season practice. A junior captain on the squad, Guleserian is Westwood’s top talent. Her abilities are recognized up and down the roster, throughout the coaching staff and the across the entirety of the Tri Valley League.
 
Her dominance is noteworthy because Lillian is Westwood’s only female player, and one of very few in the league.
 
“You definitely feel it when I grow up,” said Lillian, when asked about the pressures of competing against the boys on a regular basis. “It’s not a problem for me. I love competing with everybody and since my brother plays as well, it’s always great to play with both girls and boys.”
 
“She goes out and performs, It doesn’t matter,” said Peter Hochman, in his 12th season as coach of the Wolverine’s golf team. “She doesn’t play the one-up rule (which would allow her to tee off from one tee forward). She plays from where the boys play and she can out drive most of them.”
 
Spending time on the course with her brother, Gunther, is just one bonus of playing on the co-ed squad. Lillian is consistently pushed to perform her best and regularly cards scores in the mid-30s to pace the Wolverines.
 
” Being a leader means you have to compete,” said Lillian. “That’s a big thing. I also like to help the other people who maybe don’t compete on match day or are in their first couple years of playing golf. Being able to help them is great.”
 
Lillian’s work ethic and ability to perform in the clutch has made an impression on her teammates.
 
“The most impressive part of Lily’s game, to me, is her consistency and her poise in high-pressure situations,” said Brady Dumais, another junior on the team.
 
“Lillian is never talking down to anyone and she’s always motivating teammates to play their best. She plays from the same tees as the boys, despite having the option to play from the forward tees, which really shows her leadership. She doesn’t want any advantages and wants to play under the same conditions as everyone else.”
 
“It is extremely impressive how round after round she seems to score at the top. Even her off days are better than most people’s best days,” said junior Sean Blomquist. “The best part about Lillian is how humble she is about her game. She never boasts about her scores or acts like she’s better than anybody else which is what makes her such a good captain and teammate.”
 
This summer, Lillian competed in the Mass Amateur Championship, advancing to the semifinal before falling to Molly Smith, who will compete at the University of Central Florida this year.
 
“I love match play, so it was really fun,” said Lillian. “I’m know for hitting it pretty far, but it was my putting that helped me advance to the final four in that tournament.”
 
That taste of high-level success is something Lillian should get used to. Working with two coaches, Julie Cole, who played in the LPGA for five seasons, and Pam Johnson, who spent six years on tour, Lillian continues to hone her skills and refine her game on a regular basis.
 
“I can see her playing at a Division One level, for sure,” said Hochman. “I see that, and she still has another year and a half here to continue to grow, so I look forward to seeing that growth and development and seeing her, one day shortly, playing at a Division One school.”
 
Never one to feel pressure, Lillian appreciates the opportunities in front of her, and while she’s focused on chasing her dreams on the links, she’s also at peace with whatever may come her way.
 
“As far as I can,” she answered when I asked how far she’d like to take her golf career. “We’ll see how it goes in college, but if I get the chance to play farther than that, I’d definitely like to. But if not, I’ll just find something else I enjoy and still play golf for the rest of my life.” ”
 
Thanks to our partners at Islington Pizza for presenting Lillian with a gift card to celebrate her accomplishments with friends and family.
 
If you want to nominate someone to be a future Dental Arts of Westwood Athlete of the Month, email Diana Bezdedeanu at dbezdedeanu@bestversionmedia.com