Sept. 19, 2001
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STORYLINE: The No. 13 UNLV men's golf team kicks off its 2001-02 season this weekend at the 47th Annual William H. Tucker Intercollegiate in Albuquerque, N.M. The two-day event, hosted by the University of New Mexico at its Championship Course (Par 72--7,248 Yards), begins with 36 holes on Friday, Sept. 21, and the final 18 to be played on Saturday, Sept. 22.
ABOUT UNLV: The Rebels come into the 2001-02 season fielding perhaps the youngest team in the Dwaine Knight era. The squad lost its top two players from last season as Scott Lander graduated and James Oh turned professional. Nonetheless, another heralded recruiting class has earned the respect of the golfing community. Freshman Ryan Moore was named one of the 50 College Players To Watch by Golf World, and all three of UNLV's newcomers appear in the top 100 boys amateurs by Golfweek. The Rebels ranked among the top 25 in two preseason polls, including a respectable nod from Golf World at No. 13.
THE FIELD: As usual, the Tucker boasts another outstanding field with seven of the 19 schools ranked in the Golf World top 25. Additionally, UNLV will see all seven of its Mountain West Conference opponents. The field consists of: Air Force, Arizona, Arizona State, Brigham Young, Colorado, Colorado State, Hawaii, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Pepperdine, San Diego State, SE Louisiana, Southern California, Texas A&M, UNLV, Utah, UTEP and Wyoming.
THE LINEUP: UNLV's lineup for the Tucker Intercollegiate will be senior Clark Corbett, junior Brett Foulds, sophomore Brandon Askew and freshmen Ryan Moore and J.C. Deacon. Junior Calvin Kupeyan will play as an individual.
LAST YEAR: UNLV finished second at the 2000 Tucker, one-under par for the tourney and two shots behind BYU. Calvin Kupeyan (71-68-72--211) was the individual runner-up, four strokes behind BYU's Billy Harvey (67-70-70--207). Scott Lander (72-75-69--216) finished tied for ninth.
HEAD COACH DWAINE KNIGHT: UNLV men's golf head coach Dwaine Knight is in his 15th season as the Rebels' skipper. During his tenure, UNLV has been a perennial top-25 squad, won five league championships, advanced to the NCAA Championships 12 times, and captured the 1998 national title. The only coach in the country to twice claim GCAA National Coach of the Year honors in the 1990s (1991 and 1998), Knight has produced 15 All-Americans and sent three players to the PGA Tour (Jeremy Anderson, Ed Fryatt, Chris Riley).
UP NEXT: Following the Tucker, the Rebels play in the Carpet Capitol Collegiate, hosted by Georgia Tech, in Rocky Face, Ga., on Oct. 5-7.
