Highline women’s golf is sixth in the NWAC standings after a third-place finish last weekend and three T-Birds are headed to championships.
Highline placed third among four teams in the Southwestern Oregon Invitational in Bandon, Ore. Originally, five teams were scheduled to compete. Columbia Basin’s entire team withdrew due to transportation issues, leaving only four schools and 21 players participating.
Highline’s Brooklyn Grant placed ninth with 149 (+9) and a birdie in the second round. Ashlynn Verhaaren placed 12th with 158 (+16) and Faylisa Valle placed 15th with 160 (+14).
Highline ranks sixth in the conference with a total of seven points. There are four league match ups in the golf season, three are in the fall and one in the spring. Teams are awarded one point for each head-to-head win over an opponent at league matches, according to the NWAC website.
“So far in the season each Highline player has improved. But there is still room for improvement, it’s always a work in progress,” said Highline Head Coach Steve Turcotte.
With the regular season in the books, the Thunderbirds look ahead. The women’s golf championships are on May 22-23 in Yakima at the Apple Tree Golf Course. The top five teams and 36 golfers will battle it out for the title.
The last championships occurred in the 2018-19 season. The 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons were canceled due to the pandemic.
Brooklyn Grant, Ashlynn Verhaaren, and Faylisa Valle will represent Highline in the individual bracket. This will be the first time each of these players will walk the championship green.
Grant is a second-year player and the most consistent, all-around player for Highline, said Turcotte.
“She works hard on all parts of the game,” said Turcotte.
Verhaaren is a third-year player and she’s been playing some of her best golf with a career best of 81 in a round last week, said Turcotte.
Valle is a sophomore. Her driver has been really good this year, she drives the ball really long, said Turcotte.
The focus for practice in the weeks ahead will be a little bit of everything, he said.
“We will continue doing competition rounds during practice to put the pressure on. We do that throughout the season. It keeps the players in the heat of competition,” said Turcotte.