Sept. 12, 2004

Las Vegas - UNLV women's golf, the defending Mountain West Conference champions, open its season Sept. 13 at the 26th Annual Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M., whose field includes the team the Rebels knocked off in the MWC Championships last season.

UNLV's two-stroke victory ended New Mexico's four-year run as league champions, lifting the Rebels among the top programs in the country in just their third year. UNLV begins the season ranked 16th in the nation in Golfweek's preseason poll and returns three of the five individuals from last year's title squad.

This week's invitational will not only give the Rebels an immediate measuring stick against New Mexico, it will also provide a glimpse of how UNLV will stack up against some of the best squads in the nation. Five of the nation's top-20 teams are in the field besides UNLV. Georgia enters the tournament No. 2 in the nation, Oklahoma State is No. 5, New Mexico is No. 10, Texas A&M begins the season at No. 12 and Pepperdine is No. 18.

The three-day tournament will be played at the UNM Championship Golf Course, a par-73 course that covers 6,069 yards.