Mays tees up with UNLV

Thursday, Nov. 13, 1997 | 9:10 a.m.

Tyler Mays could have accepted a golf scholarship from the University of Washington and started as a freshman, but the Bishop Gorman High senior elected to stay home and take his chances at UNLV.

Mays, the 1997 Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association player of the year, was one of three high school seniors who signed early letters of intent Wednesday to play golf for coach Dwaine Knight's Rebels.

Adam Scott, one of the top junior golfers in Australia, and Robert Sul, a second-team American Junior Golf Association All-American, also officially committed to UNLV on Wednesday.

"I thought we had a real solid signing, getting three quality players like Adam, Tyler and Robert," Knight said. "We've still got a couple more spots to fill but this is a great start."

Mays had been considering offers from Washington, New Mexico State and Nevada-Reno. But he opted to sign with UNLV in hopes of realizing his long-range goal of playing professional golf.

"Washington said that I would probably play pretty much the whole season (as a freshman) but UNLV will prepare me better for becoming a pro if I want to," Mays said after signing his letter of intent in the Gorman library.

While Knight indicated that Mays had the ability to contribute to the team as a freshman, Mays said he was willing to wait -- and work -- for his opportunity.

"(Knight) said that I could (play right away) but it's still tough because you know they've got all those players," said Mays, who has one SNJGA title and six second-place finishes in his junior career.

"That's what I'd like to do but I don't know if it will happen. I might just redshirt next year, which is fine with me; I'll still have four years left to play."

Knight said he was excited to land Mays, who finished second at both the conference and state tournaments as a junior and carried a 38.2 scoring average for nine holes.

"I'm really pleased we got Tyler and we're really excited about his strengths as a player -- his length off the tee and his work ethic," Knight said. "I think he has a lot of potential and he's going to get better as time goes on -- his best golf is definitely ahead of him.

"I know he looked around (at other schools) but we really wanted to get him in here and I think the opportunity to train and work with good players will be very good for him."

One player who signed Wednesday who has an excellent chance of playing for the Rebels right away is Scott. The Queensland, Australia resident had the lowest scoring average (71.75) among all amateur golfers in his native country. Scott won the International Junior Championship in Scotland, was the runner-up at the U.S. Junior Championships and finished ninth at the Junior World Championships.

"Adam Scott is a world-class player, a true blue-chip player," Knight said. "His experience worldwide is not matched by many people, even in the United States. His confidence and experience is very high. He is long off the tee, has an excellent short game and has great experience -- he is the total package."

Sul, from Torrance, Calif., won twice on the AJGA circuit this summer in addition to capturing the prestigious Hogan Cup earlier this year.

"Robert is a proven winner at the junior level," Knight said. "The fact that he has won twice on the AJGA shows that he has the strength to play at a high level."