5/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 25, 2017
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LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The No. 16 UNLV men's golf team won its NCAA Regional in West Lafayette, Ind., earlier this month to advance to the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship, which will be held May 26-31 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. The championship is being hosted by Northern Illinois University. This year's NCAA Championship will mark UNLV's 20th appearance at the event in the last 29 years and will be the Rebels' second trip in the last three seasons. Five teams from each of six regionals advanced to this year's NCAA Championship, which features 30 of the nation's best teams. In addition, the top individual finisher from each regional that wasn't on an advancing team will compete at the finals.
FORMAT: There will be 54 holes of stroke play over the first three days (18 holes each day, Friday-Sunday), after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play (Monday) to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a single-elimination match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday followed by the finals on Wednesday.
LIVE SCORING: Once the tournament is underway, live scoring may be accessed at NCAA.com and through a link at UNLVRebels.com.
TELEVISION COVERAGE: The Golf Channel will televise parts of this year's NCAA Championship live. Coverage schedule (all times Central):
- Monday, May 29 - Final stroke-play round, pregame coverage from 3-4 p.m.; live coverage from 4-7 p.m.; postgame coverage from 7-8 p.m.
- Tuesday, May 30 - Pregame coverage from 9-10:30 a.m.; live coverage (quarterfinals) from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., postgame coverage from 12:30-1:30 p.m.; pregame coverage from 3-3:30 p.m.; live coverage (semifinals) from 3:30-7 p.m.; postgame coverage from 7-8 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 31 - Pregame coverage from 12-3 p.m.; live coverage (championship match) from 3-7 p.m.; postgame coverage from 7-8 p.m.
ABOUT UNLV: The Rebels are currently ranked 16th nationally, according to the latest edition of the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. UNLV has played in 13 tournaments this season, recording three team victories (Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo., in September, the Mountain West Championship in Tucson, Ariz., in April and the NCAA West Lafayette (Ind.) Regional earlier this month. In addition, the team has finished in the top five on 10 occasions, including each of the last six outings. UNLV's individuals have won a total of three titles this season - junior John Oda with two (Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate) and Justin Kim (Jackrabbit Invitational). UNLV individuals have turned in a combined 15 top-five finishes this year, with Oda and junior Shintaro Ban both leading the way with five apiece. Oda, who was named the Mountain West's Player of the Year and is a semifinalist for the Jack Nicklaus Award, leads the Rebels in scoring average with 70.36 per round, which averages out to -1.07 to par.
THE LINEUP: The Rebels' five-man lineup for the NCAA Championship will be the same as it has been for the last four tournaments: junior John Oda, junior Shintaro Ban, sophomore Harry Hall, freshman Justin Kim and senior Taylor Montgomery. This lineup has won back-to-back tournament championships: the Mountain West Championship and the NCAA West Lafayette (Ind.) Regional. In the two tournaments prior, UNLV finished third at The Goodwin in Palo Alto, Calif., and fourth at The Boilermaker in West Lafayette, Ind..
HEAD COACH Dwaine Knight: UNLV men's golf head coach Dwaine Knight is in his 30th year at the helm of the Rebel program. During his tenure, UNLV has been a perennial power with 20 NCAA finals appearances. His 1998 squad won the national championship and he has coached the team to 10 top-eight finishes at the national finals. He has also tutored two individual national champions (Warren Schutte, 1991; Ryan Moore, 2004). Knight was the only mentor to twice claim GCAA National Coach of the Year honors in the 1990s (1991 and 1998) and he has produced an amazing 44 All-Americans at UNLV, while guiding 11 different players to the PGA Tour during his time leading the Rebel program.
THE FIELD: The 30 teams competing at the NCAA Championship are (in order of seed): USC, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Baylor, LSU, Illinois, Oregon, Kent State, Texas, Clemson, UNLV, Oklahoma, Virginia, UCF, Duke, Auburn, Ole Miss, Pepperdine, Arizona State, Florida State, North Carolina, Alabama, Lipscomb, Kennesaw State, Purdue, Jacksonville, New Mexico, Iowa State and Penn State. The six individuals are: Will Zalatoris (Wake Forest), Chandler Phillips (Texas A&M), Travis Trace (North Florida), Trent Wallace (Illinois State), Mason Overstreet (Arkansas) and Cam Norman (Troy).
UNLV'S CURRENT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE: Among the five Rebels competing at this year's NCAA Championship, two have played in the national finals before. UNLV tied for 26th at the 2015 NCAA Championship, which was its last appearance. Shintaro Ban and John Oda, now juniors, were both freshmen that year. Ban tied for 113th (+16), while Oda finished tied for 126th (+18).
UNLV'S HISTORY AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: This year marks UNLV's 20th appearance at the NCAA Championship. All 20 showings have come in the last 29 years, while this year also marks UNLV's second appearance at the national finals in the last three seasons. As a program, UNLV has won three men's golf national championships: one team title in 1998 and two individual championships (Ryan Moore in 2004 and Warren Schutte in 1991). In its 19 previous NCAA Championship appearances, UNLV has finished in the top eight 10 times, with its most recent top-eight showing being a tie for 6th - earning its first Elite Eight appearance (in the current format) - in 2013 at Capital City Club, in Atlanta. Aside from winning it all in 1998, UNLV's best finishes have been second in 1996, fourth in 1992, sixth in 1999, 2000 and 2013, seventh in 1994 and eighth in 1991, 1993 and 2005.
UNLV OWNS NCAA REGIONAL RECORD STREAK: The Rebels earned their 29th consecutive invitation to a NCAA Regional this year, which tied the NCAA record for most consecutive appearances all-time (with Oklahoma State - also 1989-2017). UNLV finished first out of 13 teams at this year's NCAA Regional (in West Lafayette, Ind.), marking the first time in 12 years (2005) that the Rebels have won a NCAA Regional. UNLV finished the event at 8-over, three shots ahead of Auburn. It was the fifth regional title in program history. The Rebels have finished in the top five at a regional 19 times. Their other four titles were in 1990, 1994, 1997 and 2005). The program boasts three individual medalists (Hub Goyen, 1990; Warren Schutte, 1991; Ed Fryatt, 1994). Shintaro Ban, John Oda and Harry Hall all finished in the top six in the individual standings this year. Ban was the program's top finisher as he tied for third at 2-under.
BACK-TO-BACK MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONS: UNLV won the Mountain West Championship for the second straight year in April. It marked the fourth MW title for the Rebels. UNLV became the first MW program to win back-to-back team titles since New Mexico did it in 2013 and 2014, and it marked the first back-to-back titles for UNLV since joining the league. The Rebels' four MW titles are the second-most in league history. UNLV was a shot better (-18) than runner-up Colorado State (-17). The Rebels were led individually by John Oda and Harry Hall. Oda tied for sixth at 6-under, while Hall tied for eighth at 5-under.
FOR JUST THE SECOND TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY: For just the second time ever, UNLV won its league and regional title in the same year. The only other time it accomplished that feat was in 1994. The Rebels finished seventh at the NCAA Championship that year.
MOUNTAIN WEST HONORS: For the first time since 2002, Dwaine Knight was named the Mountain West Men's Golf Coach of the Year. In addition, John Oda was selected as the league's Player of the Year, while Shintaro Ban, Harry Hall and Oda were all tabbed all-conference performers. Oda's Player of the Year honor marked the first for a Rebel golfer since Derek Ernst won it in 2011. Oda is the fourth different Rebel to win the MW award. Knight, who is in his 30th season leading the program, has also been named the MW Coach of the Year in 2002, the WAC Coach of the Year in 1998 and the Big West Coach of the Year in 1989.
ODA RECOGNIZED: UNLV junior John Oda was recently announced as a semifinalist for the Jack Nicklaus Award. Finalists will be named on May 25. He was also named to the Ben Hogan Award Watch List in February and was also invited to participate in a practice session for the 2017 Walker Cup Match in December. Oda has been named honorable mention for All-America honors in each of the last two seasons.
HALL ADDED TO EUROPEAN TEAMS: UNLV sophomore Harry Hall, who hails from Hayle, England, will play for Europe in the Arnold Palmer Cup this year. The annual Ryder Cup-style competition will be played June 9-11 at Atlanta Athletic Club. Hall will be the eighth person from UNLV to participate in a Palmer Cup. A two-time Mountain West Golfer of the Week, Hall was also selected for the England men's golf squad in December.
ODA AND BAN LEADING THE WAY: UNLV juniors John Oda and Shintaro Ban have led the way for the Rebels this season. Oda is tops on the team in scoring average at 70.36, while Ban is right behind at 71.08. Oda has a streak of top-10 individual finishes that is active over the last eight tournaments, while Ban has finished in the top 10 in three of his last five outings. Combined, the two have shot rounds in the 60s 28 times out of 81 rounds (35 percent).
