March 19, 2004
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STORYLINE: The No. 11 UNLV men's golf team hits the road just three days on the heels of their last tournament to play in the Hall of Fame Invitational in Houston. Hosted by the Golf Coaches Association of America, the Hall of Fame Invitational is slated for March 19-21 at Redstone Golf Club (Par 72, 7,508 Yards). Thetournament scores 54 holes, with a single 18-hole round to be played each day. Live scoring via the Internet will be available at both unlvrebels.com and golfstat.com.
ABOUT UNLV: The Rebels are currently ranked 11th nationally, according to the latest edition of the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. They opened the spring with a runner-up finish at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate. Leading the squad are juniors Ryan Moore, who has earned All-America honors twice, and Travis Whisman, an All-West Region selection last year. Moore is presently ranked fifth nationally after posting a third-place finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship.
THE FIELD: The Hall of Fame Invitational carries an impressive field of 18. The GCAA hosts: Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Averett College, East Tennessee State, Francis Marion, Houston, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU and UNLV. Also participating are national teams from England and Sweden.
THE LINEUP: The Rebels' five-man lineup for the Hall of Fame Invitational will be: Andres Gonzales, Sam Hunt, Ryan Keeney, Ryan Moore and Travis Whisman.
MORE ON MOORE: Junior star Ryan Moore could possibly be the best player in college golf this year, and certainly one of the most heralded. The two-time All-American has a chance to join former Rebel and current PGA veteran Chris Riley as UNLV's only four-time All-Americans. The Puyallup, Wash., native was a finalist for the Hogan Award last season, presented annually to the top collegiate player in men's golf. He was also selected to the U.S. Walker Cup team, the U.S. Palmer Cup squad and collected his first collegiate victory at home in the Toyota Men's Collegiate Championship. At 20, Moore has already played in two PGA major championships -- the U.S. Open and The Masters. And he was chosen as the UNLV Olympic Sportsman of the Year for the second straight season. Moore is currently ranked fifth nationally.
HEAD COACH Dwaine Knight: UNLV men's golf head coach Dwaine Knight is in his 17th year at the helm of the Rebel program. During his tenure, UNLV has been a perennial power with six league championships, 14 NCAA finals appearances and the 1998 national title. The 2002 MWC Coach of the Year was the only mentor to twice claim GCAA National Coach of the Year honors in the 1990s (1991 and 1998). He has produced an amazing 31 All-Americans and guided six different players to the PGA Tour at UNLV.
