Columnist Adam Candee: Medical problem sidelines Moore

Adam Candee

Wednesday, June 9, 2004 | 9:03 a.m.

Adam Candee covers high school sports for the Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4085 or by e-mail at candee@lasvegassun.com.

For as great as Ryan Moore felt Friday after winning the NCAA championship, that's about as low it got for UNLV's star golfer just two days later.

Hours before he was to tee off in U.S. Open sectional qualifying, Moore underwent emergency medical treatment Sunday night in Columbus, Ohio, to lance and drain a cyst on his tailbone. Moore withdrew from the qualifier and he remains in Columbus today, still awaiting clearance to fly home to Washington.

UNLV coach Dwaine Knight said Moore had been dealing with the cyst for some time, but that it had not caused him serious pain until the past weekend. By that time, he could barely reach down to tee up his ball, let alone walk around the course.

"He wanted to try, but he just couldn't do it," Knight said.

Whenever Moore is allowed to fly home, he will then have to undergo more surgery to fully correct the problem. His timetable for recovery is uncertain and the summer's major events -- the Palmer Cup in Ireland and the U.S. Amateur -- are not until August.

Judging by his play over the past few months and specifically at nationals, Moore stood a good chance to qualify for the U.S. Open. NCAA playing partner Bill Haas, whom Moore outplayed at nationals, earned one of 33 spots available in Columbus with a 36-hole total of 7-under 137. That score was eight strokes off the pace of tournament winner Timothy Clark of North Carolina.

While that freak circumstance kept Moore from qualifying, the Rebels might still be represented at Shinnecock Hills in New York. UNLV senior-to-be Travis Whisman finished tied for fourth at the sectional qualifier on the too-familiar Crosswater Course in Sunriver, Ore, earning him alternate status for a berth.

Whisman, a Reno native, has little hope of making the field as the fourth alternate. But after a disappointing junior season, Whisman's resurgence on the course where the Rebels played both the Mountain West Conference tournament and the NCAA West Regional is encouraging.

The only golfer with Rebel ties to earn a berth through qualifying is Skip Kendall, who squeezed in at Columbus. Alums Bill Lunde, Charley Hoffman, Warren Schutte, and Ed Fryatt, along with UNLV signee Jarred Texter, all fell short.

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