Wednesday, April 30, 2003 | 9:50 a.m.
By Adam Candee
[email protected]
Moore to represent U.S. in Puerto Rico
FAR HILLS, N.J. -- UNLV's Ryan Moore will be one of four national champions representing the United States in the inaugural Copa de Las Americas, an international amateur golf event including countries from North, Central and South America and the Caribbean June 25-28 in Dorado, Puerto Rico.
Moore, a sophomore who lives in Puyallup, Wash., qualified for the group by winning the U.S. Amateur Public Links Chamionship.
He will be joined on the U.S. team by 2002 U.S. Amateur champion Ricky Barnes of Stockton, Calif., U.S. Women's Amateur champion Becky Lucidi of Poway, Calif., and U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion Kathy Hartwiger of Birmingham, Ala.
Recessed far into the fallout of a ninth-place finish in a 19-team tournament for a perennial national title contender is quite a silver lining for the UNLV men's golf team.
Beyond the surface of the showing at the Arizona State Invitational two weeks ago is that the Rebels closed the three-day event with a final round team score of 14-under 274, their finest day of 2002-03. They also achieved that score while team leader Ryan Moore played that little tournament in Augusta, Ga, known as the Masters.
Travis Whisman also carded the Rebels' season-low 54-hole score of 9-under 207 in Phoenix.
"I think we've got some good momentum going," UNLV coach Dwaine Knight said. "They felt really good about it."
That momentum carries the Rebels into Thursday's opening round of the Mountain West Conference tournament on the Crosswater Course at Oregon's Sunriver Golf Club. Ranked No. 7 in the nation, UNLV again enters the three-day tournament as the heavy favorite.
New Mexico (No. 17), San Diego State (33), BYU (44) and Colorado State (45) round out the strong conference competition.
UNLV obviously wants to win the MWC crown, but the Rebels already are a lock for a high seed to the NCAA regionals beginning May 16. Knight said the team looks at the conference tournament, regionals and nationals as one postseason, but allows that this level does not make or break UNLV.
"We've won the conference and not won nationals, and we've not won the conference and won nationals," Knight said.
Not having played a competitive round in almost three weeks is an advantage, Knight said, because the Rebels had a chance to work out some individual kinks.
"Having two weeks off gave us a chance to kind of work on things individually," Knight said.
One player without much to work on right now is Moore, who made the cut at the Masters and was recently named a finalist for the Hogan Award. That honor goes to the top men's collegiate golfer in the country, and Moore is one of five hopefuls.
"It's our Heisman for college golf," Knight said. "It shows the respect he has across the country."
UNLV returns to reality after the MWC tournament, as the Rebels will have to take final exams a week early because the tests fall during the regional tournament.
"We're trying to get all that in shape and lessen the stress factors," Knight said.
There is extra motivation for the Rebels to perform well and to build confidence at Sunriver. The exceptionally long 7,683-yard, par-72 course will be the site of the NCAA West regional in 2004 and the NCAA championships in 2006.
Lee, a sophomore from Los Angeles, has four top-20 finishes this spring, including an eighth-place showing at the conference championship. She ranks second on the squad with a 76.67 scoring average.
Oh, a freshman from Seoul, Korea, leads the Rebels with a 75.38 stroke average. She was the conference individual runner-up, and has four top-10 finishes on the year.
Both players mark the first in the program's two-year history to earn conference honors.
Oh and Lee will lead the Rebels at the NCAA West regional tournament May 8-10 at Arizona State University's Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz.
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