April 22, 2018
Results | Tournament Central | Media Guide | Season Statistics | Videos | @UNLVGolf
BREMERTON, Wash. (UNLVRebels.com) - The No. 21 UNLV men's golf team led wire-to-wire and shot a final-round 4-under-par 284 Sunday to win its third straight Mountain West Championship by 11 shots at the Olympic Course (par 72, 7,115 yards) at Gold Mountain Golf Club.
The Rebels finished with a 54-hole total of 8-under 856, while Colorado State placed second at 3-over.
UNLV senior Shintaro Ban fired a tournament-low 7-under 65 during the final round to earn medalist honors by nine shots at 16-under 200. Ban set Mountain West individual records for total score (previous record: 202), score relative to par (previous record: 12-under) and margin of victory (previous record: four shots). UNR's Grant Booth finished second at 7-under.
The team win was UNLV's fifth all-time at the MW Championship and Ban became the seventh Rebel to win the MW individual crown (first since 2015: Kurt Kitayama).
QUOTEABLE:
"It's quite an accomplishment for these guys. Each one (MW Championship) was a little different. Guys were pretty solid. Nothing is easy, the conference is strong from top to bottom and you really have to play well to get a conference championship. So we are real proud to represent the Mountain West as champions this year." - UNLV men's golf head coach Dwaine Knight
"I love my teammates and coaches. We are all family. We all do the same thing, we try to get better every day - just try to push each other and get the best out of ourselves. My ball placement was really good off the tee and on the green as well. Today was actually a better ball-striking day. I had a little more confidence in attacking some flags and overall put myself with a lot of birdie opportunities. I put them a lot closer than the past few days and got it done today. It's a great feeling. This is my last conference championship ever, you have to make the best out of the last one." - UNLV men's golf senior Shintaro Ban
STAT OF THE DAY: UNLV was the only school with four individuals finishing among the top 13 at the tournament.
REBEL OF THE DAY: Ban, the only student-athlete in the field to card all three rounds in the 60s, recorded eight birdies during the final round with one bogey. He finished with a tournament-high 20 birdies over the tournament's 54 holes.
REBEL RECORDS: Ban has now won four individual titles this year and five for his career. He ranks tied for third on the all-time UNLV men's golf career wins list with Kevin Penner (2009-13) and Jeremy Anderson (1996-00). He also is tied for first for most wins in a season with Warren Schutte (1990-91).
COMPLETE REBEL SCORES:
• 1st - Shintaro Ban, senior (68-67-65=200, -16)
• 12th - Jack Trent, freshman (72-70-76=218, +2)
• T13th - Harry Hall, junior (71-75-73=219, +3)
• T13th - Justin Kim, sophomore (73-76-70=219, +3)
• T43rd - Garrick Higgo, freshman (76-79-76=231, +15)
TOP FIVE TEAMS:
1. UNLV (284-288-284=856, -8)
2. Colorado State (284-293-290=867, +3)
3. UNR (293-291-291=875, +11)
4. Fresno State (287-295-299=881, +17)
T5. Wyoming (289-293-300=882, +18)
T5. New Mexico (295-298-289=882, +18)
There were a total of 11 teams and 55 individuals competing
REBEL NOTES:
• In 12 events this season, UNLV has recorded nine top-five finishes, including three team titles and two runner-up performances.
• After 11 straight years in Tucson, Arizona, the MW Championship was held in the state of Washington for the first time.
• By finishing ahead of UNR (3rd), UNLV earned three more points in the Governor's Series, presented by NV Energy and Barrick Gold.
• UNLV captured an NCAA Regional title last year and advanced to the `Elite Eight' at the NCAA Championship.
• Ban and Hall are both 2017 All-Mountain West Team honorees, and Ban earned honorable mention All-America. In addition, Ban was named an All-America Scholar.
• Ban and Hall will both compete in this year's Arnold Palmer Cup, while Ban has been named a semifinalist for the highest honor in college golf - The Ben Hogan Award.
• UNLV has an active NCAA record of 29 consecutive regional appearances.
• This season marks the 31st at UNLV for Hall of Fame head coach Dwaine Knight.
NEXT FOR THE REBELS: UNLV will compete at the NCAA Regionals, May 14-16. Sites and seeds will be announced May 2.
