Thursday, March 11, 2004 | 9:02 a.m.
Dwaine Knight likes the way his UNLV golf team is playing, but the Rebels are about to find out how they stack up with the country's best teams on their own course.
The Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship, UNLV's annual home tournament, begins Friday with the top five teams and five of the top nine individual golfers in the nation teeing it up in the three-day event.
The Rebels stand 10th in the latest edition of Golfweek's rankings and they will be tested by as tough of competition as they will see until June.
"I can't imagine a field being any stronger than this anywhere until the national championship," Knight said.
Right from his start 17 years ago at UNLV, Knight has scheduled the best available competition. He feels that playing against the top teams teaches his players to be confident in their own abilities.
"You get more comfortable with the fact that you can play with these guys," Knight said.
Teams arrived Wednesday and are scheduled to take part in a practice round today at Southern Highlands, a challenging par-72, 7,381-yard track. Play begins at 8 a.m. each day from Friday through Sunday and tournament admission is free.
Knight said that the forecasted ideal weather conditions will help ease the course a bit, but there will still be plenty to contend with.
"It will play a little bit faster than it did last year," Knight said. "If we do get wind, the greens will be a little bit firmer. We don't have as much rough."
With at least four of his five regulars posting strong scores at the Rebels' spring season opener in Hawaii, Knight feels his team is ready to compete, even against defending national champion Clemson and top-ranked Florida.
"We continued our good play from the fall in Hawaii," Knight said. "We've had three good tournaments in a row going back to the Jerry Pate tournament (in the fall.)"
The coach's biggest concern is UNLV's performance on short holes, where big numbers are easily piled up on tougher courses. While the Rebels rank near the top of the nation in par-5 scoring, Knight feels the team will struggle without improved tee shots on par 3s.
"One glaring area for us right now is par 3s," Knight said. "Hitting greens is going to be huge for us."
There will be one significant change in the UNLV lineup as freshman Matt Edwards replaces junior J.C. Deacon in the top five. Edwards, a Coronado High School graduate, makes his first scoring appearance for the Rebels after qualifying earlier this week.
UNLV standout junior Ryan Moore will be defending his title in the event, formerly called the Toyota Men's Collegiate Championship, from last year.
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