UNLV sets NCAA golf milestone

Friday, May 29, 1998 | 11:01 a.m.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Dwaine Knight is quick to caution -- and repeat to anybody who will listen -- that there is a lot of golf to be played before the NCAA team golf champion is crowned Saturday afternoon.

But after the Rebels shot a blistering 19-under-par 269 Thursday to take the second-round lead in the NCAA Men's Golf Championships, his players are having a hard time following the party line.

UNLV's record-setting performance on the University of New Mexico Championship Course sent the Rebels into today's third round with a five-shot lead over Georgia Tech and an eight-stroke cushion over Clemson. First-round leader Oklahoma State was 11 shots back of UNLV, tied for fourth with UCLA.

"This was a big-time day," Knight said after the Rebels established a record for the lowest team total (23-under-par 553) after two rounds in the 101-year history of the NCAA finals. The previous mark was 11 under by Stanford in 1994.

"It gives you confidence that you can make a lot of birdies out here," Knight said, "but there's a long way to go."

If they awarded the NCAA Championship trophy on confidence alone, the Rebels would have walked off with the hardware Thursday afternoon. Four UNLV players shot in the 60s -- led by senior Bill Lunde's 7-under-par 65 -- and the highest score was freshman Scott Lander's 2-under 70, which was not counted in the team's total.

"We're that kind of a team; we've had those kinds of rounds throughout the year where we get hot and shoot some awful low numbers," Knight said.

Perhaps, but not in the biggest tournament of the year. That, it seems, has given the Rebels players even more confidence in their quest for the program's first national championship.

"This is pretty nice," junior Charley Hoffman said after carding a career-low 67. "We can't let up, obviously, but I think we can go out there and shoot the same thing (today). I know all of us have the confidence to do it.

"Sometimes it's hard to follow up a good round but I think this team can do it if any team can."

Lunde, Hoffman and junior Chris Berry (who shot a 68 Thursday) were tied for 10th in the individual standings at 6-under 138, four shots behind second-round leader J.J. Henry of Texas Christian, going into today's third round. Sophomore Jeremy Anderson was tied for 13th after a 69 Thursday and is five shots off the individual lead at 139.

Knight said he wasn't completely surprised by his team's performance Thursday after it had finished the opening round by playing the par-5 ninth hole in 6 under par.

"I felt that was going to be our most difficult day," Knight said of Wednesday's opening round. "We just couldn't seem to quite get the ball in the right spots but we played that last hole tremendously and I think it carried over into (Thursday's) round."

The Rebels were threatening to wrap up the title two days early after making the turn Thursday in a staggering 18 under par. That only fueled UNLV's players to maintain their torrid pace on the back nine.

"Everyone got off to a good start and seeing that leader board ... fired me up personally," Berry said. "It really pumped me up knowing that everyone was playing well and I just tried to keep my foot on the accelerator and try to keep going as low as we could.

"There is a lot of golf to play but if we stay aggressive and keep doing what we're doing, we should do pretty well and get good results."

Lunde, who matched his career-best round Thursday, agreed with Berry.

"Two rounds -- that's a long way to go," Lunde said. "I mean, look what we did in two rounds last year. I doubt that will happen again but we're trying not to think ahead.

"But can we keep up this pace for two more rounds? Hey, anything's possible. We definitely have confidence right now and if the weather stays nice like this, there's no reason not to play good."