March 5, 2004

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's golf team will once again host one of the premier collegiate events in the nation in 2004, thanks to a partnership with its home course, Southern Highlands Golf Club.

The Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship will be played at the prestigious venue from March 12 to March 14, 2004.

"Everything about Southern Highlands is first class, so we're really pleased that it has associated itself with our program and our tournament," said UNLV head coach Dwaine Knight. "It's a great venue and its presence adds stability and longevity to this event. This is a chance to build a wonderful tradition."

"We're certainly excited to continue and enhance our involvement with UNLV golf and men's college golf," said Jay Beckman, the Head Golf Pro at Southern Highlands. "We believe that assuming the sponsorship of this tournament helps to establish it as the best in the nation, now and into the future."

Established in 1974, the tournament, formerly known as the Toyota Men's Collegiate Championship, has played at numerous venues, undergone several format changes, promoted a half-dozen sponsors and survived a two-year hiatus in its 31-year history. It returns to Southern Highlands for the third straight year, but this is the first under the new partnership with the course.

Annually, the Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship features the most challenging competition within the collegiate ranks. Nine of the schools in the 15-team field currently rank in the top 11 of the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, including the host Rebels who rank 10th. Top-ranked Florida and defending national champion Clemson highlight the teams in the field while UNLV's own Ryan Moore looks to defend his individual title from a year ago.