UNLV golf team lands top recruit

Thursday, Sept. 16, 1999 | 12:05 p.m.

It took only one recruiting visit for Travis Whisman to decide where he wanted to play collegiate golf.

Whisman, who also was being recruited heavily by Stanford and Arizona State, this week verbally committed to play for coach Dwaine Knight's Rebels next fall.

Whisman, a senior at Galena High School in Reno, became the second high-profile recruit to commit to UNLV this week, following James Oh of Lakewood, Calif.

"Dwaine Knight and the whole golf program down there is pretty amazing," Whisman said. "I think it's the best golf program in the country and (Knight) is the best golf coach.

"After visiting UNLV, I canceled all my other trips. Golf-wise, I felt like that was the right spot to be."

Whisman will bring to UNLV an impressive list of credentials. In addition to being a two-time Nevada junior champion and two-time state high school champion, Whisman carries a 3.95 grade-point average at Galena.

Whisman won the Nevada State High School individual championship earlier this year by eight shots and next spring will attempt to become the first player in state history to win three consecutive individual titles.

Whisman also is the only golfer other than the legendary Jack Nicklaus to have qualified for five consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur Championships (1995-99). Whisman advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1998, where he lost to eventual champion Oh.

Oh and Whisman have remained friends and Whisman said Oh's verbal commitment earlier this week played into his decision to attend UNLV.

"James and I are pretty good friends and that helped in me making my decision," Whisman said.