It’s been a season of learning and perseverance for the Highline College men’s golf team, which recently wrapped up two challenging weekends on the course at the Columbia Basin and Skagit Valley Invitationals. Finishing ninth out of nine teams at both events, the Thunderbirds may not have cracked the leaderboard, but they’re far from out of the fight.

At the Columbia Basin Invitational, Highline posted a team total of +94 over two rounds. The scores reflect a team still finding its footing against stiff NWAC competition. Sophomore Prisco Vacca led the charge, carding rounds of +5 and +8. Fellow teammates Gabe Johnston and Brighton Brown each shot +12 in the second round, while Kaden Clark added to +17. Rounding out the roster were Logan Rutledge and Connor Quinn, who posted +27 and +17, respectively.

A week later, the team traveled north to Avalon Golf Links for the Skagit Valley Invitational, where the story was much the same – flashes of potential, but too many costly mistakes. Once again, Highline finished ninth with a total score of +99 over two days. Vacca was a bright spot, putting together two steady rounds of 79 (+7), while Rutledge (+11), Brown (+13), and Clark (+17) contributed to the final team score.

Head Coach Steve Turcotte didn’t sugarcoat the results – but he remains optimistic. He said the players are capable of better scores; they just need to clean up their mental game and avoid turning small mistakes into big ones.

“We had great moments in both of those tournaments,” Turcotte said. “But we had some bad holes at the wrong times. We’d turn a bogey into a double bogey and then couldn’t recover like we needed to. The guys know they need to limit those bad holes for us to be successful.”

One consistent bright spot for Highline has been Vacca. The sophomore has quietly built one of the steadiest seasons in the NWAC and is likely to qualify for the NWAC Championship in Yakima as an individual.

“Prisco has been the most consistent,” Turcotte said. “He should finish in the top 30. He does a good job staying out of trouble and minimizing his mistakes.”

Still, golf is a team game – and Turcotte knows that if Highline wants to close the gap with stronger teams like Bellevue and Columbia Basin, it will take everyone stepping up.

“To close the team scoring gaps, we need to minimize mistakes and get consistent results from all the players,” he said.

For the players, the frustration of missed opportunities is real—but so is the camaraderie. For Kaden Clark, being part of this team has brought a mix of personal growth and lifelong memories.

“It’s helped me grow because the game brings me a lot of joy and fun playing with this great group of guys,” Clark said, and when asked what advice he’d given to his freshman self, his answer was reflective.”I’d definitely tell myself to have more fun and stress less about the game. Be serious, but always enjoy it.”

As the season heads toward its conclusion, the Thunderbirds are turning their focus to the fundamentals—short game, putting, and mental toughness. The goal? Eliminate the double bogeys and string together cleaner rounds.

“We practice well and shoot good scores in practice,” Turcotte said. “We just need to bring that into tournaments. We’ve had talks about no double bogeys—those are the round killers.”

With the Spokane Invitational and the NWAC Championships at Apple Tree in Yakima still ahead, Highline has a chance to end the season on a high note.