Sept. 7, 2011

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV men's golfer Derek Ernst has been recognized in the Golf World 2011-12 College Preview issue as one of the top 50 men's college players to watch this season. The full list may be viewed by clicking here.

Ernst, a senior from Clovis, Calif., is a two-time Mountain West Golfer of the Year award winner and has also been named to the PING All-West Region team each of the last two years. In 2010, he was selected as a third team All-American.

Ernst led the Rebels last year in rounds played (41), scoring average (71.93), top-20 finishes (11), top-10 finishes (8) and top-five finishes (3). He also led the team in rounds at par or better (20) and with 14 rounds under par.

Ernst was the runner-up at this summer's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. In May, he tied for first at the MW Championship before winning the title outright with a birdie on the third playoff hole to break a three-way tie. His 7-under 64 during the second round of that tournament marked the lowest round by a Rebel golfer last season.

The 2011-12 UNLV men's golf season will get underway on Sunday, Sept. 18, at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo.