If the third time is the charm, big things may be in store for Moffat County golfer Kolten Vasquez next fall.

However, his second outing at the big time was none too shabby.

Vasquez tied for 81^st and shot a 185 across two days at the 3A CHSAA State Championships Monday and Tuesday at Pueblo’s Walking Stick Golf Course.

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The result was positive for the MCHS junior, though he still was striving for more, entering the state tournament feeling a lot less shaky than he did as a sophomore.

“I was feeling confident. I thought I was gonna do better than I did,” he said. “The course was a lot easier, I just wasn’t having my day both days. I don’t feel like I played my full potential.”

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MoCo golf coach Tim said that while things could have gone better, Vasquez handled his nerves better as things progressed, especially in his short game.

“He got off to kind of a rough start but really settled down and started doing well,” Adams said.

An 89 on the opening day saw him tied for 72nd on the leaderboard, but the second day of swinging was rougher, albeit with peaks and valleys.

Vasquez chipped in from about 15 yards to save par on his second hole of the back nine — starting on Hole 10 both days — but had his worst moment on Hole 18 with a quadruple bogey.

He finished the day with a 96.

“It may have been a little bit of fatigue. It’s always a lot for them,” Adams said. “We go down, play a practice round, then two real rounds but by the end of the second day, they’re pretty tired. That always plays a little bit of a factor.”

While Vasquez only finished two spots higher in the rankings than last year’s tourney, in which he placed 83^rd, his scoring difference was night and day. This year at state saw him more than 50 strokes lower than the combined 237 he recorded in 2023.

This year’s event was simply much more competitive all around, Adams said, noting that only one player shot in triple digits either day, while the state champ, Tyler Long of Evergreen shot -5 the first day and -4 the second for a 135 to lead his school to a team title.

“I think that may be the lowest state score I’ve seen since I’ve been coaching. That kid really ran away with it,”

Adams added that with CHSAA adding a 2A division in boys golf this year, the configuration of schools, which was already apparent in the regional rounds, was quite different.

Still, the event was another stop on the road for Vasquez as he builds his game.

“Definitely something to build on for his senior year,” Adams said.

Heading into his final season in the sport at MCHS, Vasquez said this fall flew by, though he’s eager to get back on the course as much as possible to prepare for 2025.

“You know what they say — without pressure and time, there would be no diamonds,” he said.