Columnist Adam Candee: No sparks flying from wet matches

Adam Candee

Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005 | 9:15 a.m.

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

Congratulations if you have been able to get your newspaper out of the plastic sleeve and into your hands without covering it in water this week.

The PGA tour pros in Southern California know your pain, and how. A week after the Nissan Open in Los Angeles played just 36 holes before staging its all-UNLV playoff, the Match Play already lost today's first round to the torrential storms coming through Carlsbad.

It's a shame that rain is already a huge factor, as this is one of the most enjoyable tournaments of the year. It's not exactly the all-out fun of a Judge Smails-Al Czervik showdown at Bushwood Country Club, but there is a cool March Madness feel to the upset potential and funky matchups that materialize over a few rounds.

Among those stuck in the rain are the Nissan Open playoff participants, former Rebels Chad Campbell and Adam Scott. On the first playoff hole, Scott made par to get the unofficial victory, leaving Campbell at the altar again.

And the media is not being kind to Campbell as he descends ever so slightly from the lofty perch of "next big thing" that Sports Illustrated placed him upon a couple of years ago. That's us media types - build you up to break you down.

ESPN.com's Jason Sobel wrote, "Just two years ago, Campbell was thought to be the next great American golfer, but we may now be finding out exactly what to expect from the 30-year-old Texas native. Rather than a consistent top-10 finisher, Campbell looks like the type who will string together a bunch of unimpressive starts, then break out with a superior performance."

That's a compliment only Phil Mickelson or Mike Weir could give.

Knight is also surrounded by water at the moment, but in a much more pleasant way. The Rebels are in Hawaii this week to open their spring season at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate against a decent field in a 54-hole event.

Looking at his barometer of the team's qualifying scores, Knight is thrilled with the way the Rebels competed for spots on the plane to paradise. Behind senior Ryan Moore are seniors Travis Whisman and Andres Gonzales, freshman Jarred Texter and sophomore Sam Hunt.

With Moore as the established top gun, Knight is hoping to get a feel for the rest of his lineup in the next couple of weeks before the nation's best teams arrive in Las Vegas for the Rebels' annual stellar home event beginning March 11.

"I think it will be a little while before we come up with a set lineup," Knight said. "But I think Travis looks pretty solid."

That's how Knight would prefer it, with senior standout Whisman backing up Moore. Not far behind is Texter, the wunderkind from Pennsylvania, and Gonzales shot some of the best qualifying scores of the group. If the 15th-ranked Rebels can establish any sort of consistent play from the top two or three spots behind Moore, they will be a legitimate national title contender.

As for Moore, Knight said that the best player in UNLV history is doing a good job of handling all of the attention brought on by last summer's Amateur Slam. At the same time, six days in Hawaii - whether focused on golf or not - can help recharge and rejuvenate just about anyone.

"There's a lot on his plate, but I think it's good to get away to something like this," Knight said.

Still, for a team with a top-30 national ranking, Ringler would like to see her squad finish a bit closer than 42 strokes off the pace of winner UCLA.

"I don't think we're where we should be at all," Ringler said. "But we're getting better."

Junior Elena Kurokawa continued her strong play by finishing tied for eighth at 4-over. After shooting a strong 3-under 68 Monday, Kurokawa ballooned to a 5-over 76 Tuesday to take her out of medal contention.

No other Rebel finished in the top 40, with new lineup addition Christine Hentzner posting the best total at 18-over.