April 8, 2003
On the same day that UNLV sophomore Ryan Moore learned that he was paired with Arnold Palmer in the first round of The Masters, the Rebel prodigy was also chosen to play in the tournament named for the golf legend.
Moore was one of eight players chosen to represent the United States squad at the 2003 Palmer Cup, which will be played at The Kiawah Island Club's Cassique course in Kiawah Island, S.C., July 7-11.
The Puyallup, Wash., native becomes the fifth Rebel to earn the honor of playing in the Ryder-Cup style tournament that features eight of America's best male collegiate golfers competing against their counterparts from Great Britain and Ireland.
"The Palmer Cup is one of the most prestigious events in college golf, and it says a lot about both Ryan and the UNLV program to be chosen for such an honor," UNLV men's golf head coach Dwaine Knight said.
Moore joins Dustin Bray of North Carolina, Bill Haas of Wake Forest, Adam Rubinson of TCU, Brandt Snedeker of Vanderbilt, Jason Hartwick of Texas, Hunter Mahan of Oklahoma State and Peter Tomasula of California on the United States team. Georgia Tech head coach and former Rebel assistant Bruce Heppler will coach the squad.
Ranked 10th nationally in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, Moore adds his name to an impressive list of Rebels to have participated in the Palmer Cup. Knight was chosen to coach the U.S. team in 1997, the Cup's inaugural year. Ted Oh was a member of that team as well. Jeremy Anderson earned his way onto the squad in both 1998 and 1999, and Scott Lander was the most recent Rebel to make the roster in 2001.
The top player for the fifth-ranked Rebels, Moore will miss UNLV's competition at the Arizona State Invitational this week to play in The Masters. He qualified for perhaps the most prestigious tournament on the professional circuit after winning the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship last summer and will be paired with Palmer in Thursday's first round.
Before he can begin play in The Masters, however, Moore will continue his tour through Augusta, Ga., rubbing elbows with some of the biggest names in the sport. His practice round with former Rebels and current tour stars Chad Campbell and Chris Riley was rained out on Monday, but he was able to play Tuesday's practice round with Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros. On Wednesday, he will compete in the event's annual par-3 tournament and will be paired with Davis Love III and Fred Couples.
