Rebels roll into MWC tournament

Adam Candee

Thursday, April 22, 2004 | 10:07 a.m.

Nice swings on the driving range. Now it's time to use them out on the course.

That is essentially the situation for the UNLV women's golf team, which has enjoyed a highly successful spring season in just the program's third year. But with a national ranking of No. 20, expectations go much higher than a few high finishes.

When the Rebels teed it up this morning at the Mountain West Championships in Sunriver, Ore., the lofty goal of winning in the postseason trumps those nice thoughts of top-five finishes that carried the team through its spring schedule.

All is well for the Rebels after rolling to a win two weeks ago at the BYU Dixie Classic in St. George, Utah. UNLV broke school records with its best one-day and tournament scores and sophomore sensation Sunny Oh cruised to the tournament victory.

Oh, the defending NCAA West Region champion, followed that performance by qualifying for last week's LPGA Takefuji Classic at Las Vegas Country Club and making the cut.

"She's exactly where I'd like to see her right now," Ringler said of Oh.

Really, just about everyone in Ringler's starting five of Oh, freshman Seema Sadekar, sophomore Elena Kurokawa, sophomore Young Pak and junior Hwanhee Lee is playing well enough to encourage the coach. It is the kind of team depth that Ringler has searched for since arriving at UNLV after the Rebels' inaugural season.

"I draw a lot more confidence from our depth because that's what's been my issue since I got here," Ringler said.

Ringler just hopes that her young team is feeling as confident in their abilities as she is, as they head into the pressure of the postseason.

"We just came off a win, we've played great this spring," Ringler said. "There's no reason they shouldn't have all the confidence in the world."

About the only potential problem that Rebels coach Missy Ringler has seen is an uncommon April issue over which she has no control: Snow fell on the course early Wednesday in Oregon.

Ringler still likes the way that the Meadows course at Sunriver Resort sets up for her team. It is a course that heavily favors accurate golfers who keep the ball in the fairway.

"I think this is a course where we can shoot under par," Ringler said.

The Rebels' main competition at the MWC tournament will be New Mexico. The Lobos are ranked fifth in the nation and New Mexico's Kailin Downs is the 20th-rated golfer in the country -- one spot ahead of Oh.

For all the positives that have marked the Rebels' spring campaign, Ringler understands if her girls still have one eye fixed on the Lobos.

"It's tough not to focus on that because you see New Mexico ranked 5th in the country," Ringler said. "We really haven't had the opportunity to see them this spring."

Even if they do not win the conference championship, the Rebels are still a strong bet to receive an invitation to one of the three NCAA region tournaments beginning May 6.