Columnist Victoria Sun: Rebels to host nation’s best golfers

Victoria Sun

Wednesday, March 6, 2002 | 10:26 a.m.

Victoria Sun is a Las Vegas Sun sportswriter. She can be reached at victoria@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4078.

The UNLV men's golf team will face its toughest test starting Friday when it hosts the Callaway Golf Las Vegas Intercollegiate Tournament at Southern Highlands.

Defending NCAA champion Florida, 2000 NCAA champion Oklahoma State, 1999 NCAA champ Georgia and defending tournament champion and No. 1 ranked Georgia Tech are among the talented field of 16 teams scheduled to compete in the 54-hole event that wraps up Sunday.

There will be 15 All-American selections and two U.S. Amateur Public Links Champions -- D.J. Trahan of Clemson, the top ranked golfer entering the spring season, and Chez Reavie of Arizona State -- will be among those competing on the Rebels' home course.

"That's what we wanted," UNLV coach Dwaine Knight said. "The good thing is, we've got the best teams in the country here and it's a good benchmark for where we are."

Knight's biggest challenge this season has been figuring out how to get the most from his golfers.

The Rebels' lineup for the weekend is in order: Clark Corbett, Ryan Moore, Brandon Askew and J.C. Deacon. Brien Davis and Calvin Kupeyan will compete as individuals.

The Rebels routinely shoot sub-par rounds at Southern Highlands and are very familiar with the course. Deacon and Moore won last week's qualifying by each shooting 8-under-par 208.

"We're starting to gain some confidence," Knight said after the team placed fourth at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate in Hawaii. "I'm seeing the things that have been some of the hallmarks of our successful teams of the past.

"Their work ethic is outstanding, I see a lot of effort going into trying to be competitive. A couple of our goals in Hawaii were attainted, in that we wanted to be in the final pairing and have a chance to win the final round."

Since the team's return to Las Vegas, it has been busy preparing for this weekend.

"We're shooting very low in qualifying which I hope will translate to the tournament this weekend," Knight said. "I'm pretty optimistic we're going to play well."

Finishing better than 12th will be a marked improvement.

That's where the Rebels found themselves after last year's tournament, which was held at the Rio Secco Golf Club.

"We want to put ourselves in contention and we really feel we have a good chance of winning the tournament," Corbett said. "I think we do have an advantage over the other teams because we play this course so often."