UNLV women search for their golf identity

Adam Candee

Monday, Nov. 1, 2004 | 9:25 a.m.

After punctuating a breakout season with a trip to the NCAA championship in June, no one in the UNLV women's golf program expected the next chapter to begin in such a halting manner.

So far, the Rebels have not really contended in any of their three events, nor have any individual players finished in the top 10 of a tournament. No Rebel has broken par and UNLV placed 16th of 18 teams in its last start at Stanford.

But Rebels coach Missy Ringler feels that her team is beginning to find an identity that it can carry into the spring season, even if the results are yet to come on the course.

Ringler will see if she is right beginning today at Anthem Country Club in the opening round of the Las Vegas Founders' Collegiate Showdown, the first of two tournaments that UNLV will host this year. The event, won by New Mexico in both of its first two years, runs through Wednesday.

Four of the top 25 teams in the country, including third-ranked Washington, could make for a highly competitive field and a tough atmosphere for the emerging Rebels.

Ringler is eager to push her team, though, going so far as to pair her players with Washington in the first round.

"Things are going much better," Ringler said. "It seems the team is much more positive."

The answers may lie within for the Rebels. With four of her top five players returning from the program's best of its three years, Ringler feels the talent is there. She recently had some good heart-to-heart conversations with her players about where Ringler expects them to fit in on the team, hoping to set some minds at ease.

Foremost among them is Seema Sadekar, a sophomore standout from Canada whose best finish in three starts is a 28th at Washington's home tournament. Sadekar, who qualified for an LPGA event this summer and established herself a year ago as the clear No. 2 player behind Sunny Oh, who left school to turn pro. But Sadekar has not stepped into the top spot as many expected she would.

"She understands that, too," Ringler said. "She's kind of to the point where she's disappointed that she hasn't done that."

"Somebody like Seema, she knows where she's expected to be."

The rest of the group has yet to provide stability. Senior Hwanhee Lee, a starting five regular last year, dropped out in favor of senior Tina Mabanta after two disappointing events, but Lee returns in place of senior Young Pak today. Freshman Allison Chell finished 12th in Washington to ignite some hope, but then placed 75th at Stanford.

It all adds up to UNLV falling to 43rd in the latest Golfweek national rankings after beginning the season ranked 16th. Ringler anticipated some of her team's early struggles, but with the spring season approaching, she is hopeful that the Rebels will begin playing to their talent level this week.

"I think it will leave a better taste in our mouth (about) the fall," Ringler said.

UNLV plays once more in the fall, heading to Florida for the Hooters Collegiate Match Play from Nov. 14-16.