Rebels falter down stretch

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 | 9:17 a.m.

OPELIKA, Ala. -- The 14th-ranked UNLV women's golf team got off to a rough beginning Tuesday in the first round of the NCAA women's golf tournament.

After the first day of play, the Rebels were 20 shots over par and in 22nd place among the 24 teams.

Leading the field was Oklahoma State, which worked around the par-72, 6,215-yard Grand National Lake Course with an even-par 288. The Cowgirls had a one-stroke lead over UCLA and Duke.

"I feel like we got off to a little bit of a rough start," said UNLV head coach Missy Ringler. "We need to try to forget (Tuesday) and focus on the fact that there are 54 holes left."

Individually, Ohio State's Allison Hanna carded a 3-under 69 and held a one-stroke edge over three other players. Only nine players on the day finished under par.

UNLV's Sunny Oh posted an even-par 72, but double bogeyed her final hole. She was the Rebels' top scorer and was in a nine-way tie for 10th place.

Sophomore Elena Kurokawa scored 37 on both nines to post a 74, and Hwanhee Lee chipped in a 78 to the team total. However, the Rebels were forced to count Seema Sadekar's 84 as Young Pak struggled with an 85.

The Rebels, who were assigned the day's final tee times, got a late start after nearby lightning forced a 39-minute delay. UNLV didn't complete its round until 7:45 p.m. CDT, and it was scheduled to return to the course for second-round play at 8:50 a.m.