Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Rebels’ coach stunned with final day’s effort

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Only the two-railed wood post fence guarding the scoring tent off the No. 9 green prevented Dwaine Knight from falling right over in the smothering heat Friday afternoon.

No, it was not the thumping sun or choking humidity at Karsten Creek Golf Course that flustered the UNLV men's golf coach. His own Rebels beat down Knight on the course.

Knight simply hung his head while second-team All-American Ryan Moore deposited a score of 3-over-par 75, the last of the Rebels' five final-round scores that left their coach nearly speechless.

"Shell-shocked, really," Knight said, pausing in the middle of answering a question.

An articulate man, Knight struggled to describe the fourth round that reversed two consecutive days of solid golf and instead closely resembled a horrendous opening day where his youthful team could not avoid disaster on a downright cruel track. UNLV shot a final-round 312 (+24), just one stroke better than Tuesday's first-day score and tied with three other schools for the second-worst round of the day, to finish in 13th.

"You've got to drive the ball in the fairway and you've got to be able to hit greens," Knight said. "We didn't do either one of them. A great golf course is going to kick your butt, and it kicked our butt."

Coming into the day 20 strokes back, the Rebels did not have a realistic chance to challenge eventual winner Clemson or runner-up Oklahoma State, who battled throughout Friday for the title. Moore, the highest Rebels finisher in a tie for 20th at 299 (+11), also did not much of a shot at the individual crown claimed by Arizona State's Alejandro Canizares.

Instead, Knight just hoped for the positive experience of a strong showing to carry his four returning top players into next year, when a national title will not be too much to expect.

But this? The Rebels that cut their score in half Wednesday and Thursday never showed up Friday.

"We got off to a really bad start," UNLV freshman Ryan Keeney said. "First time I looked up at the leaderboard was on the seventh hole of the day, and I think we were already like 20-over."

It just felt that way, actually -- the Rebels were 12-over at that point.

"Frustration, exclamation mark," Knight said. "It was such a frustrating day for us."

The question now becomes how the Rebels will respond to the bitter taste of Oklahoma. After a few minutes for all to cool down, Knight gathered his charges on the first tee, making sure that the lessons of the last day were clear.

Knight knows what they are. His top-ranked Rebels missed the cut at nationals at Chicago's Conway Farms in 1997, and responded with their first NCAA title at The Championship Course in Albuquerque the following season.

At Tennessee's Honors Course in 1996, Chris Berry shot a dismal 344 to finish in 84th place, 40 shots behind the last of his teammates. Berry came back to tie for second in Albuquerque to lead the way to that team crown.

"It's disappointing because we could have had a great tournament here," Knight said. "And we didn't get it done. We've got to live with it this summer, and hope to have the guts to come back like those other guys did."

Most important, Knight confirmed that Moore will return for his junior season. Moore headed straight from Karsten Creek to U.S. Open sectional qualifying today in Auburn, Wash. The kid who already played in majors at Bethpage Black and Augusta National will compete in one of the most pressure-packed sectionals, with 18 golfers competing for just one spot in the Open.

He will also compete in the Palmer Cup with a team composed of top American college players that competes in a Ryder Cup-style contest.

"I think we'll have him another year, for sure, and then see where he is from there," Knight said. "He's definitely going to be back next year. That will help us."

Moore is not the only Rebel playing against the best this summer. Fellow junior-to-be J.C. Deacon goes directly from NCAA nationals to the British Amateur. Travis Whisman and Keeney also face a summer of top amateur competition.

Knight hopes these kids from the Tiger Woods generation of power-up golf learn to not only try to overwhelm a course, but massage it as well.

"The biggest thing is we've got to learn to drive the ball in the fairway," Knight said. "I don't care how far you hit it. You can't play out of the junk."

The Rebels also eagerly await the arrivals of former Coronado High star Matt Edwards and Andy Leadbetter, the highly touted son of teaching legend David Leadbetter. An international recruit from New Zealand is also expected to immediately compete for top-five status on the squad.

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