Columnist Victoria Sun: Rebels’ Scott opts to leave school, concentrate on golf

Victoria Sun

Wednesday, Dec. 29, 1999 | 10:19 a.m.

Victoria Sun's golf column appears Wednesday. Reach her at 259-4078 or victoria@vegas.com

Junior tennis players have been doing it for years.

So have baseball players and, more recently, basketball players.

That's why UNLV golf coach Dwaine Knight figured it wouldn't be long before golfers turned pro straight out of high school or left college early to become pro.

"Now that a lot of money is involved in pro sports," Knight said, "that's pushing a lot of players to taking that opportunity early more than they would have before.

"I think you're going to see more guys leaving earlier out of school because the money is there, but I think if a young man can go to college and improve, I still think that helps him prepare for the pro tour."

A few weeks ago, UNLV sophomore Adam Scott announced he was quitting school to focus on playing golf.

Scott, the No. 3 golfer on the team, led the Rebels with a 71.08 average during the fall season and had one top-5 and one top-10 finish.

The native of Australia was granted a number of exemptions to play in major events in his homeland during Australia's summer season which starts January and runs through March.

Although Scott will retain his amateur status for now, he told Knight that couldn't pass up the opportunity to test his skills against other pros, leaving no time for school. After Scott competes in Australia, he will return to the U.S. to compete in more tournaments.

At the beginning of the year, Scott was the top-ranked amateur in Australia. Because he was at UNLV and unable to compete in more tournaments in Australia, Scott lost the top spot.

Knight said that was one reason why Scott decided to go back to Australia.

"A couple things happened leading up to his decision," Knight said. "One of them was Aaron Baddeley, an Australian amateur, winning the Australian Open and another amateur winning the Australian Match Play.

"The fact that they won those two events and he was ranked ahead of them, he felt he needed to play in tournaments as an amateur to see how he would do.

"If he does well in Australia, it will certainly open up doors for him in the U.S. He has a chance to play against world-class competition the next few months and then come back and do the same.

"I told him we're certainly going to miss him, but I'm glad he was here for the time we had him."

The next question for Knight is who will step up to fill the void left by Scott. But Knight says he's not worried.

In 1997, UNLV's top golfer, Ted Oh, left school after his sophomore season to turn pro.

The following year, Bill Lunde and Chris Berry helped lead the Rebels to a school-record seven wins and the 1998 NCAA championship.

"Adam is a tremendous player and with him I thought we had the top three in the country," Knight said. "But it seems like somebody always steps up and fills a role.

"Everybody on the team, they're all friends with Adam, but they felt it was a good opportunity for him. Hopefully somebody will take advantage of the opportunity that's opened up since he left.

"I think it's kind of wide open. There's a whole lot of guys that will have a shot."

For now, Knight says Scott Lander, who played at the four spot, will move up to take Scott's position.

After that, the rest of the team, including Calvin Kupeyan, Brien Davis, Alexander Strandberg and Tyler Mays, will have ample opportunities to prove their worth.

* PALMER TO PLAY HOPE: There's still time to make plans to attend the 41st annual Bob Hope Chrysler Classic to be held Jan. 17-23 at host course Bermuda Dunes Country Club in Bermuda Dunes, Calif.

The 90-hole, five-day tournament will also be played at the Palmer Private Course at PGA West, Indian Wells Country Club and La Quinta Country Club. Besides offering a chance to see 128 top golfers along with sports, screen and television celebrities, the tournament recently announced another worthwhile reason to make the trip: Golf legend Arnold Palmer will be in the field. Palmer, a five-time winner of the event, has played in every Hope Classic except one -- 1997, when he was recovering from prostate cancer surgery.

For ticket information, call (760) 346-8184 or (888) 672-4673. Information can also be obtained on the Internet at www.bhcc.com.