Columnist Victoria Sun: UNLV golf team trying to shake tag of inconsistency

Victoria Sun

Wednesday, May 3, 2000 | 10:32 a.m.

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

Ever since Adam Scott left the UNLV golf team after the fall semester to play professionally, the team has struggled with consistency. Coach Dwaine Knight has had to juggle the lineup in hopes of getting the most out of his players.

Through it all, the team has shown flashes of brilliance in the spring season, tying for first at the Morris Williams Intercollegiate in Austin, Texas, and maintaining a top-15 ranking. It also has shown signs of mediocrity, finishing ninth at both the U.S. Collegiate Golf Championships and the ASU Thunderbird/Savane Invitational.

Today at the PGA West Nicklaus course in La Quinta, Calif., UNLV was trying mightily to hold onto its four-stroke lead over Colorado State in the inaugural Mountain West Conference Championships.

The Rebels shot a 2-under-par 286 on Tuesday, causing their seven-stroke lead over the Rams to shrink to four.

"Even though we didn't play our best today, we played a competitive round," Knight said Tuesday. "The last round has tended to be a big round for us."

UNLV junior Scott Lander, a member of the Rebels' 1998 NCAA championship team, was the first-day leader after he fired a 68. He shot par on Tuesday, landing in a third-place tie with teammate Michael Kirk.

"The two core people for our program this year have been Jeremy Anderson and Michael Kirk," Knight said. "They're having to play big tournaments for us to be competitive.

"Scott Lander knows what it takes coming down the line and it's nice to see him get off to a good start here. He's played solid golf and he gives us a chance to go for the championship."

The fourth and fifth spots have been question marks for Knight, but Calvin Kupeyan and freshman Robert Sul, playing in his first tournament of the year, have made improvements. Kupeyan's two-day total 1-over-par 145 put him in a tie for 11th. Although Sul's first two rounds have been discarded (only the top four scores for each team count), Knight thinks he is getting close.

"I know his goal is to get a round under par for us," Knight said. "He won the spot in qualifying to make this trip and he's come on late here."

* LADIES CHALLENGE: The Ladies Challenge Golf Tour will host a free junior golf clinic May 21 for kids 18 and under at the Badlands Golf Club. Kids will receive tips and lessons from some tour players.

The LCGT is a new developmental tour for aspiring LPGA professionals. On May 22, the tour will be holding a pro-am to help raise money for charity and bolster the purse for the professionals. The pro-am will be a four-ball scramble with a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. The cost is $250 per player and $900 for a foursome. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the rest will go toward the tournament purse.

The professionals will compete in their seventh tour stop of the year May 23-25 at Badlands. Admission is free.

* SWINGING SENSATIONS: Two members of the Southern Nevada Inner City Youth Golf Association qualified over the weekend for the finals of the World Junior Golf Cup June 25 in Orlando, Fla.

Christine Hentzner carded a 77 and James Payton shot a 71 at the Apache Creek Golf Club to become two of four players in the field of 39 to make the cut in the 17-18 age group.

The two-round finals will be played at the Eagle Pines Golf Course at Walt Disney World. Of the 125 finalists, 15 will be chosen to represent the U.S. team on a trip to St. Andrews, Scotland, to compete against Canada.

* CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENTS: The Hemophilia Foundation of Nevada will hold a tournament June 4 at Angel Park Golf Club to benefit the foundation. It will be a best-ball scramble format with a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. The cost is $125 per person. That includes dinner and prizes. There will also be a hole in one contest to win a 2000 Chevrolet Camaro. For information call 564-4368. ...

Ferraro's Fine Italian Dining will host a tournament June 19 at Canyon Gate Country Club to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The shotgun start will be at 1 p.m. The fee is $175 per person, $700 for a foursome and $500 for a hole sponsor. Entry fee includes a golf shirt and awards dinner. For a registration form call 252-4663 or stop by a Ferraro's restaurant.