Wednesday, July 21, 2004 | 9:40 a.m.
Adam Candee covers golf for the Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4085 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Rocco Pronk consistently shoots below his age. At 84, that is no small feat.
It is no challenge for him to carry the water on No. 8 at Angel Park's Palm course with his Callaway Hawkeye 8-iron. And on July 9, he carried one right into the bottom of the cup from 143 yards away. That is an even bigger feat.
"It took one bounce into the hole," Pronk said Tuesday.
Pronk said he had no idea that the ball had gone into the hole while standing at the tee box. When he made his way over to the green, he saw a ball mark about 2 feet from the hole, but he didn't find his ball for another few seconds.
The ace was the second of Pronk's life, with the first having come in California in 1972. But no one recorded the hole in one that day, leaving Pronk with no proof of an achievement many golfers will never enjoy.
The good folks at the Angel Park pro shop did not let this hole in one slip away, though, helping Pronk get the ace sworn and recorded to keep forever.
"I got excited about this one," Pronk said.
All the Moore
Ryan Moore's stellar play since the last tournament of UNLV's 2003 fall season is reaching the point where calling it a hot streak does not do it justice. Moore, who won the U.S. Amateur Public Links championship Saturday in Minnesota, is undoubtedly the country's best collegiate player heading into the 2004-05 season.
And he continues to overwhelm Rebels coach Dwaine Knight, a man who has watched two decades of amazing players come through Las Vegas. The coach referred to Moore as the best player in the history of the UNLV program earlier this year and heaped more praise on him this week.
"I've never seen someone play this well consistently for that long," Knight said of Moore.
Moore recovered quickly from May surgery to remove a cyst on his tailbone, just days after he won the NCAA championship. His recovery took little time, as Moore won the Sahalee Players Championship in Washington before claiming his second Publinx title in three years to earn his second Masters berth.
"He's really controlled the ball well," Knight said. "He has attacked the pins from the center of the green. He's driven the ball extremely accurately this year."
As amazing as Moore's run is, Knight always felt that it was possible, simply by looking at the track record Moore compiled over the years. He won the Washington state championship and earned three-time Junior All-America honors finishing in the top 10 at nationals as a freshman.
"The thing I liked about Ryan was that he was good at every level," Knight said.
Good is quickly becoming great.
Help on the way
The Rebels, looking to rebound from one of their worst seasons in recent years, are looking forward to anticipated help from junior star Jarred Texter.
Texter, a Pennsylvania native, signed with UNLV in November, when he was the seventh-ranked junior player in the country. Since then, Texter shot up the Golfweek/Titleist chart to his current position of fourth in the national rankings.
A 2003 second-team Junior All-American, Texter is expected to immediately compete for one of the Rebels' five playing spots. He will join soon-to-be teammate Moore at the U.S. Amateur before coming to UNLV in late August.
Pro-scratch event
The 2004 Angel Park Pro-Scratch Golf Tournament is scheduled for Aug. 8-9 at Angel Park Golf Club. The tournament comprises two-person teams -- a pro and a scratch amateur -- competing in a "best ball of two" format for a total purse of more than $10,000.
Teams will compete for cash prizes, gift certificates and skins throughout the event. Following the first round of play, the top 20 teams that opt into the "Horse Race" can compete in a shootout on the Cloud Nine short course.
In past events, local pros Jeremy Anderson, Ed Fryatt and Robert Gamez have played, with Gamez recording a hole in one in 1996.
The team entry fee is $300 ($175 professional, $125 amateur) or $350 for non-affiliated professionals ($225 professional, $125 amateur). The entry fee includes all range balls; two drink tickets per player; a Sunday night cocktail party; and continental breakfast prior to the final round.
To register, call Angel Park at 254-4653 or go to the Web site at www.angelpark.com.
Is help on the way?
The Las Vegas Invitational needs volunteers -- and money from them as well.
Las Vegas' annual PGA Tour stop is asking for volunteers over the age of 18 to help facilitate the tournament, scheduled for Oct. 4-10 at TPC at Summerlin, TPC at the Canyons and Bear's Best. In order to volunteer, though, a $25 fee is required, for the purpose of defraying expenses. The cost to volunteer may sound a bit counterintuitive, but volunteers also receive some compensation for their time.
All workers receive a volunteer badge to enter all days of the tournament; a season badge for a guest; coffee and donuts, and volunteer lunch on volunteer days; discounts on clothing and memorabilia; and a Sunday night volunteer party with door prizes. Active military members are exempt from the volunteer fee.
If you are interested in helping out, contact Michele Morphy at the LVI tournament office at 242-3008.
archive
