Thursday, May 19, 2005 | 9:36 a.m.
The competition on the course does not top the list of concerns for the UNLV men's golf team, which enters the NCAA West Regional as the top seed.
The competition from the course, however, could prove to be as stiff a test as the Rebels have faced this season.
Stanford Golf Course is the venue on which the Rebels began play earlier today as they opened their three-day quest to return to the NCAA championship after falling short last year. The par-71, 6,742-yard track prompted UNLV coach Dwaine Knight to offer comparisons to the punishing Karsten Creek course in Stillwater, Okla., where nationals were held in 2003.
"It's tough," Knight said. "It's got some good rough. They've had quite a bit of rain up here. It's going to be a great test."
Making its 17th consecutive regionals appearance, UNLV is ranked first in the field of 27 teams. The top 10 squads, plus the best two individuals from non-qualifying teams, will earn berths to nationals, which will be held June 1-4 at Caves Valley Golf Course outside Baltimore.
The Rebels capped a disappointing 2004 season by failing to reach nationals for just the second time in 15 years. Ryan Moore, then a junior, qualified as an individual and went on to win the national title.
The landscape appears much rosier for the Rebels this season. Ranked as high as No. 2 in national polls, UNLV brings one of its strongest teams since its 1998 national championship winner to Stanford, Calif.
Moore's excellent adventure of the past 12 months is well chronicled, but his primary golf goal in returning to UNLV after last season was to win the team championship. After finally completing his academic career last week, Moore can now focus solely on golf.
He did just that last week, making appearances at the Nevada State Legislature in Carson City and at the Dallas-area ceremony for the Ben Hogan Award, which Moore received in his third year of nomination. The Hogan Award is college golf's top individual honor.
After yet another whirlwind tour, Knight said Moore is ready to lock in on playing.
"I think it's great," Knight said. "The week of travel has been a lot."
Moore will have help from fellow senior Travis Whisman, who will play in the No. 2 slot, as well as junior Andres Gonzales, junior Ryan Keeney and true freshman Jarred Texter.
That Texter, who recently made it through to sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open, plays from one of the lower three spots speaks volumes about the depth of this UNLV squad.
Considering the challenge that waits from the course, depth could be vital for the Rebels because big numbers could be entirely too easy to find. The rough is at clampdown level, meaning that accuracy off the tee is at a premium.
"Probably the biggest thing is that you're going to have to drive the ball pretty well to score well," Knight said.
The Rebels did not score well on the opening day of the Mountain West Conference tournament, putting them in a hole from which they could only climb to second place during the final two days. To avoid falling into a similar trap, Knight is stressing that his team take it slow if a shot finds the rough off the fairway or around the green.
The Rebels used much of Wednesday's practice day to play from the nasty stuff, working on various escape shots.
"We're going to have to have a lot of patience if we're in trouble to get the ball back in play," Knight said. "I think that's going to be key."
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