Legacy High School was on the big stage in the 3A Nevada State High School golf championships and came through with a trophy and a historic appearance. Vincent Kyle Forbes, playing for Legacy, became the first state golf champ in history and the team made its first-ever appearance in the state finals. –by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider
The event was played in May 2023 at Toiyabe Golf Club in Northern Nevada.
Forbes, a senior, posted a seven-stroke victory in leading his team to a third-place finish. Truckee won the team title while Fernley was second.
Two other teams representing Southern Nevada finished in the top 10. Pahrump Valley was fifth while Boulder City wound up sixth.
For Forbes, it came down to playing steady golf.
“As a senior, I came in wanting to play two solid rounds,” he said. “I wanted to play this tournament like it’s the last two rounds of competitive golf I will play. I wanted to make this all about memories I could take with me.”
Forbes plans to attend UNLV and go into architecture but he’s not sure if his college time will include golf.
“I really want to focus on school,” he said. “But if I do try to join the golf team, I will work my hardest.”
He said being a state champ really put his golf career into focus.
“What goes through my mind is all the hard work and people who supported me through junior golf helped me get here,” he said. “I certainly didn’t get here by myself. So many people had a hand in this.”
He said one shot stands out during the tournament.
“It was the very first tee shot,” he said. “Being on the tee box for the last time as a senior it was almost like…this is the start of the end of this journey.”
And that first tee shot?
“I hit a good drive right down the middle,” he said with a laugh.
Legacy coach Jeremy Thornton said the medalist honor couldn’t have gone to a more deserving player.
“Vincent finished third last year at state and to win it this year definitely showed our younger players that hard work pays off,” Thornton said. “He’s just been a tremendous role model and showed everyone how things need to go to finish at a high level. He helped push everyone on the team forward to play their best. He’s just a model teammate.”
Other Southern Nevada players who finished in the top 10 included: Kaeden Habig (Legacy), solo ninth, Agustin Acosta (Boulder City), T-10, Carter Nygaard (Pahrump Valley), T-10, Cash Keller (Moapa Valley), T-10.
INDIVIDUAL
Vincent Kyle Forbes, 75-79—154
Jacob Holmes, 83-78—161
Reed Loper, 81-81—162
Luke Brown, 86-81—167
Scott Hutnyak, 87-81—168
TEAM
For the Legacy team, it was a milestone two days.
They not only had the medalist in Forbes but they also had a third-place finish as a team.
“This is the first Legacy High School golf team that has ever played in the state tournament in our 16 years of existence,” said Thornton who has been at Legacy since Day 1. “Vincent was the first individual to qualify for state in either boys or girls last year and he finished third. Now we have a state championship team.”
Thornton said it was definitely a team effort to finish third.
“I’m exceptionally pleased with the way the kids played,” he said. “They all played well and played with a lot of poise.”
TEAM
Truckee, 698
Fernley, 708
Legacy, 714
Elko, 730
Pahrump Valley, 736