Tuesday, April 14, 1998 | 10:07 a.m.
BRIAN HILDERBRAND is a Las Vegas SUN sportswriter. His golf column appears Tuesdays. He can be reached on the Internet at [email protected]
UNLV's golf team continues to confound head coach Dwaine Knight with its unparalleled success.
After winning last weekend's BellSouth Yellow Pages Intercollegiate in North Carolina, the top-ranked Rebels extended their school-record victory total to six this season and have won four of their seven tournaments this spring.
"The consistency has been incredible when we haven't won, to have 10 top-four finishes and only one (finish) out of the top 10 in 12 tournaments," Knight said.
"Way back in September, we were just trying to find out who this team was going to be and I think a different person showed up than any of us thought about."
Knight isn't worried that his team may be peaking too early -- what with postseason beginning in two weeks with the Western Athletic Conference Championships in Northern California.
"Our whole focus always has been and still is on the end of the season and that's been traditional since I've been here," Knight said.
"Winning never hurts, that's something you can build on and gain your confidence. I think the fact that you can come back and be in the hunt is very important to our program as we're developing a team that can win a national championship."
Although UNLV will fall shy of the NCAA record of 10 team titles in a season -- even if they win the WAC tournament, the NCAA West Regional and the NCAA Championship -- the Rebels' run of six victories is unprecedented against their current level of competition.
"Our job is to get them around the country, to get them exposed to the best teams on the best courses and then hopefully have a chance to be competitive," Knight said. "This group has stepped above that and been exceptionally competitive. I think it's great and it's exactly what we needed (because) we're going to draw on our experiences a lot as we go into the playoffs."
The fact that UNLV has won in virtually every conceivable manner -- including coming from behind and when holding a huge lead going into the final round -- will be an enormous aid to the Rebels in the postseason. And so, too, will last year's disappointment in the NCAA finals, when the top-seeded Rebels were eliminated from national championship contention after two rounds.
"You're going to have ups and downs and I think anybody that's won a national championship, there is a lot of heartache along the way. But if you're going to be the best you've got to be willing to pay that price and we're willing to do it," Knight said.
"I feel good about this team and I feel we learned a lot from last year and we're a little bit better prepared for what we're going to face than we were a year ago. We're going to keep doing it and going after it until we get it because I believe we're going to do it one of these days."
* COLBERT'S GIFT: Las Vegas resident and two-time Senior PGA Tour Player of the Year Jim Colbert will announce next week the formation of the Jim Colbert Junior Golf Endowment Fund to aid the Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association. Colbert will make a substantial donation to the fund, as will the Las Vegas Founders Club, at a public reception next Tuesday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Christopher Homes' Palisades neighborhood in Summerlin. The public is invited to attend the reception for a $25 donation. Funds from the endowment will be used for scholarships for worthy SNJGA members, for sponsorships for children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn or play golf, and to introduce inner-city children to the game. In addition to donations from Colbert and the Founders Club, Cashman Cadillac of Las Vegas will give a gift of $100,000 to the fund if Colbert makes a hole in one during next week's Las Vegas Senior Classic. For more information on the reception, call the SNJGA at 433-0626.
* AROUND THE GREEN: Bruce Crampton, winner of the inaugural Las Vegas Senior Classic in 1986, on Monday became the seventh former champion to officially commit to next week's Las Vegas Senior Classic. The 13th annual LVSC will be held next Thursday through Sunday at the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin and the TPC at The Canyons. ... Faith Lutheran Junior-Senior High School will hold its fourth annual scholarship fund-raiser golf tournament June 8 at the Desert Pines Golf Club. For more information, call the school's development office at 648-7047.
* UPCOMING EVENTS: The PGA Tour will be in South Carolina this weekend for the MCI Classic at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island. Nick Price is the defending champion; the USA cable network and CBS will televise. ... The Senior PGA Tour will hold the 59th PGA Seniors' Championship this weekend at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Hale Irwin is the defending champion; NBC will televise Saturday and Sunday. ... The LPGA Tour resumes this week with the City of Hope Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina. Karrie Webb won last year's tournament; The Golf Channel will televise.
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