Columnist Adam Candee: UNLV women prove coach right in Founders play

Adam Candee

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2004 | 9:19 a.m.

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

So this is what Rebels coach Missy Ringler meant when she said her team appeared to be "much more positive."

The UNLV women's golf team shot into first place in Tuesday's second round of the Las Vegas Founders Collegiate Showdown at Anthem Country Club. The Rebels rode hot performances from second-day leader Hwanhee Lee, as well as Seema Sadekar and Elena Kurokawa. Lee fired a 1-under 71 to share the lead with Missouri's Maria Ohlsson and San Francisco's Jessica Potter, while Sadekar sits tied for fourth at 2-over and Kurokawa is a stroke back in eighth at 3-over.

Heck, even true freshman Allison Chell is within earshot at 6-over in 15th place. Overall, UNLV carried a six-shot lead over Texas Tech into today's final round.

With three players already in the top 10, UNLV appears assured of besting its highest team finish this year of sixth and its best individual showing of 12th. And none of it comes a moment too soon for a program that vaulted onto the national scene last year and needs something to help retain that status.

For a team ranked 16th in the nation in the preseason, that's more like it. The fall season in college golf serves as little more than a training ground for the rigors of the spring and the playoffs. But perception does become reality at some point and the Rebels had shed 26 spots in the national rankings coming into this week.

After three ugly starts, UNLV put itself in danger of falling so far out of view that regaining national notice -- crucial as part of the selection process for NCAA regionals -- in the spring could be difficult. A win in its home tournament, with four top-25 teams in the field, would ceremoniously stop that slide.

Ringler is pretty plugged in to the ebb and flow of her team, so her words that the Rebels were ready to bust out rang true. That is the benefit afforded to coaches who refrain from pumping up bad teams and sandbagging good ones to those who follow them.

Lest we forget the UNLV men's golf team ... it's a good week for Dwaine Knight's boys as well.

Well, most weeks spent in Hawaii are pretty good, but the Rebels are enjoying both the islands and a second-round lead at the Turtle Bay Intercollegiate in Kahuku.

Most impressive is that UNLV, at 12-under, holds that three-stroke edge heading into today's final round without the help of Ryan Moore, who is coming off a victory in the World Amateur Team Championships in Puerto Rico last week. Granted, the field is not exactly world-beating, but good play is good play.

Travis Whisman is answering his coach's call to step up, holding a share of third place at 5-under after two days, two strokes off the pace. Sam Hunt is tied for sixth at 4-under, Ryan Keeney is tied for 12th at 2-under, Jarred Texter is tied for 17th at even-par and Matt Kinsinger is tied for 39th at 3-over.