UNLV women’s golf hopes second year is charmed

Adam Candee

Tuesday, April 22, 2003 | 9:37 a.m.

Missy Ringler lived in Minneapolis when it happened, but no one needs to remind the first-year UNLV women's golf coach how the Rebels fared at last year's Mountain West championships.

Punctuating a thought about the team's travel plans for Sunriver, Ore., Ringler quickly adds, "We're really excited to better our finish from last year."

UNLV placed fifth among six teams at the 2002 conference tournament, and the program's first-year status was no consolation.

The forecast for this tournament, slated to begin Thursday, is decidedly Sunny.

Standout freshman Sunny Oh is ranked No. 82 in the nation in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, and Oh, a 20-year-old freshman from South Korea, is prepared to lead the 34th-ranked Rebels to a stronger finish. She enjoyed a taste of the pros last week, losing in a playoff in Monday qualifying for the LPGA Takefuji Classic.

"It was a wonderful experience for her," Ringler said. "It solidified that she is one of the better players not only in the conference, but she's one of the better freshmen in the country."

Confidence is high not only for Oh, but for the entire UNLV team. The Rebels claimed the first victory in program history two weeks ago at the BYU Dixie Classic, coming from eighth place after the first 27 holes to hold off San Francisco by three strokes. Oh and fellow freshman Elena Kurokawa recorded top-10 showings.

"I think it was a great confidence builder, especially because all the (Mountain West) conference teams were at the tournament," Ringler said. "It adds to our credibility, that we should be a good team."

Ringler said maintaining confidence throughout the season has been a challenge, especially with a green roster. Cimarron-Memorial High graduate Erin Borcherts is the squad's lone senior, and the Rebels have no juniors.

"It's nice because they're young, but they're very competitive," Ringler said. "Most of them have such great junior careers, they came into college ready for the competition."

The Rebels' main competition will come from 12th-ranked New Mexico, the three-time defending tournament champion. The team winner earns an automatic berth to the NCAA West regional at Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz., but Ringler thinks the Rebels also have a very good chance at an at-large bid.