Monday, March 10, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

WINNERS AND LOSERS: UNLV's finish bittersweet

Moore takes medalist honors; team places second

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Photos by Craig L. Moran. In a game of inches, one shot was the difference for the UNLV men's golf team on the final day of the Toyota Men's Collegiate Golf Championship at Southern Highlands. The Rebels finished one stroke behind Oklahoma State. Mitch Carlson, above, saved par on the ninth hole after hitting his approach into the bunker, and he finished tied for 32nd. Ryan Moore birdied the same par-5 hole and wound up as the medalist. Brien Davis putts on the ninth green at Southern Highlands. He made par on the hole, and his 73 left him ninth overall.

The UNLV golf team finished each round of the 54-hole Toyota Men's Collegiate Golf Championship in second place to a team wearing orange.

But unlike the first two days, when the Rebels were chasing Texas, the tournament ended Sunday with Oklahoma State topping the field.

The Cowboys, paced by a 5-under-par 67 by Hunter Mahan, shot the best round of the day Sunday, finishing at 7-under 281 to wind up at 8-under 856 for the tournament. That was one better than UNLV, whose stumbles down the stretch cost it the title.

Rebels sophomore Ryan Moore won his first collegiate event by one shot, overcoming a five-stroke deficit with a 5-under 67 for an 8-under 208 overall. But Moore was as downcast as his teammates despite the win against the elite field, knowing the Rebels let one slip through their fingers.

"We had our chances and we didn't do it," Moore said.

Moore and Brien Davis each had bogeys on the par-3 17th, then freshman Mitch Carlson three-putted for bogey on 18. Moore and freshman Ryan Posey each missed birdie putts of 5 feet on 18, costing the Rebels their first spring tournament win since last year's Mountain West Conference Tournament.

The Rebels' four players whose scores contributed to the team total on Sunday played the par-5s in just 1-under. The decision at the start of the tournament to have Travis Whisman, who has suffered from back tightness, play as an individual instead of Carlson backfired when Whisman shot a sizzling 6-under 66 on Sunday and wound up tied for 10th.

Carlson shot a 69 on Friday, but followed with a 74 and a 76.

"We had our chances," Rebels coach Dwaine Knight said. "It's disappointing (not to win), but in this game, you have to keep putting yourself in position. I was proud of the guys because they played well under a lot of heat out there."

Oklahoma State trailed Texas by 10 at the beginning of the day and was behind UNLV by seven. The Cowboys started on the back and were finishing on the front while UNLV traversed the difficult closing holes at Southern Highlands.

The Cowboys' margin of victory was Mahan's hole in one on the par-3 12th, the third consecutive day in the event there was an ace.

But the real difference was on each team's final three holes. The Rebels played those in 3 over, the Cowboys in 4 under, accounting for a seven-shot swing.

That made the individual championship bittersweet for Moore. He beat a field that included nine other nominees for the Ben Hogan Award, given annually to the top player in college golf.

"It's nice to get something out of it, but I would have much rather won the team thing," Moore said. "That would have been big for us. But we're playing solid right now and that's a good sign. You have to give Oklahoma State some credit, because that was some good playing.

"I've never had this much of a comeback before, so from a personal standpoint, it is nice. It is pretty cool to win in that fashion, but I wish we could have pulled it out as a team, too. It would feel a lot better."