SEAN M. HAFFEY / Union-Tribune Francis Parker High School golfer Katie Sylvan outlasted 123 other golfers to win the individual title at the Lady Triton Invitational in San Clemente earlier this month. Instead of the usual trophy, she received a surfboard.

As a standout golfer at Francis Parker High School, Katie must spend time working on her game. Her score depends on it. Maybe her older brother Michael realizes that. For years, he has refused to teach her how to surf.

At the Lady Triton Invitational in San Clemente this month, Katie outlasted 123 other golfers to win the individual title. It wasn't the senior's first victory, but it may finally convince her brother that she is ready to test her skills in the water.

Instead of the usual trophy, the winner received a new surfboard.

“A surfboard is way cooler,” said Katie, who lives with her family in Mission Hills. “Plus it's a cool story. I won it at a golf tournament. It's just so random.”

It was out of frustration that Katie picked up a golf club for the first time. The game has become one of her passions, but it started simply as a way to challenge her brother for their father's attention.

“My dad and my brother played together, and I was jealous because they were spending a lot of time together and golfing together,” Katie said. “So I would ask to tag along, and one day I picked up a golf club and tried it.”

These days, golf is something different to Katie. While some players' emotions fluctuate with every swing, she smiles through bogeys and birdies as if she were at home making her favorite meal, blueberry pancakes. Even with college recruiters paying close attention, her composure never seems to change.

“She has a great attitude. Looking at her, you can't tell whether she is shooting 60 or 100,” said Paul Sylvan, Katie's father.

Nine years ago, Katie put an odd-numbered golf ball on a tee in her first tournament. To this day, you will not find a No. 2 ball in her bag.

“Even numbers are just bad numbers,” Katie said with a laugh. “Just atheistically, I like the appearance of odd numbers.”

Inside the girl who is just having fun is someone who strives to help others, a trait that runs in her family.

Katie's parents are physicians who graduated from Yale. Paul Sylvan is a radiologist. Ellen Heyneman is a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at University of California San Diego and a director at Rady Children's Hospital.

Katie has volunteered at the San Diego Zoo, considers herself an environmentalist, and one day may join the Peace Corps. For the past year, she has volunteered to help toddlers, many of whom are at risk for autism.

“It's amazing to interact and connect with these kids,” Katie said. “A lot of the kids are unable to communicate verbally, but at the end they are able to string together 10 sentences. It's really incredible.”

She also has a passion for language. After studying Spanish in Barcelona, Katie is learning Italian and Chinese.

But she still needs someone to teach her how to surf.