Rebel golfers ready to open spring season

The UNLV men's golf team has produced a solid crop of PGA Tour players, including Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion; Ryan Moore, who won the U.S. Amateur title and individual NCAA crown in 2004; and Chris Riley, the school's first four-time All-American in any sport.

Rebels sophomore John Oda is poised to follow the same path. The Honolulu native led UNLV in scoring average (71.11 strokes per round) his freshman year en route to earning Mountain West Freshman of the Year and honorable mention All-American honors.

"I know his goal is definitely to play on the (PGA) Tour," longtime Rebels coach Dwaine Knight said. "We've had some good freshmen. Johnny kind of fits into that role of being a really solid player here. There's no real weaknesses in his game."

Oda and senior team captain AJ McInerney, a Coronado High School product, will lead UNLV in its spring season opener today and Tuesday at the LMU Invitational at Reflection Bay at Lake Las Vegas. The public is invited to attend the tournament, which will be hosted by Loyola Marymount and feature 15 teams, and admission is free.

McInerney, who won the Clark County Amateur title as a 14-year-old, claimed two individual state crowns and three team titles at Coronado and was one of the top three high school seniors in the nation. He's battled back injuries in college but Knight said he's as healthy as he's been since his freshman year.

"He's poised to have a great final semester to his college career. He's a great leader for us as our team captain and it's great to see him healthy and playing well," Knight said. "I'm looking forward to him finishing his career here in good style.

"He's a great driver of the ball and a real good shotmaker. He's worked hard on his short game to complement his ball striking."

McInerney won his second Las Vegas City Amateur title in November with an 8-under 132 and led UNLV to its best finish of the fall season at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate in Albuquerque, N.M., in September. He fired a final-round low of 4-under 68 to place second individually and the Rebels took third as a team.

Joining McInerney and Oda in UNLV's starting lineup today will be senior Zane Thomas, an Arbor View High product, sophomore Shintaro Ban and freshman Harry Hall.

Local products Ben Davis, a sophomore from Shadow Ridge, and Taylor Montgomery, a junior from Foothill, will compete as individuals for the Rebels, along with junior Redford Bobbitt.

"Our depth is really good this semester," Knight said. "I have a good feeling about this group. They're really hard workers and really focused. Those two seniors (McInerney and Thomas) really want to go out with a bang."

A perennial top-25 team, UNLV has played in an NCAA-record 27 straight NCAA Regionals and won the NCAA title in 1998.

"Our goal is to play for a national championship. That's what it's been since I've been here," said Knight, in his 29th year as Rebels coach. "Two years ago, we were in the Elite Eight and lost in sudden death to Georgia Tech for a chance to go the Final Four. This is a group that can get back to that level."

FREE SPORTS CLINIC — The UNLV athletic department will host a free sports clinic for boys and girls in grades two through eight at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Mendenhall Center. All participants will receive free T-shirts and also can attend the UNLV women's basketball game against Fresno State for free at 3 p.m. at Cox Pavilion.

Doors open at 11:45 a.m. for registration for the clinic, which will feature players and staff from several teams at UNLV running stations at the Mendenhall Center and on the practice courts at Cox Pavilion in honor of the 30th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

In addition to the clinic, there will be activities for kids, including bounce houses, on the Cox Pavilion concourse starting at 2 p.m. as part of Rebel Kids Club day at the UNLV-Fresno State game, where the first 200 fans will receive a free T-shirt.

IN RECORD TIME — Auzsane Crowe-Carter set a new UNLV record in the 600-meter run, winning the event at the Mountain T's Invitational at Northern Arizona on Friday with a time of 1 minute, 31.45 seconds. Canyon Springs product Mandy Chitwood took second in 1:31.73, the second-fastest time in program history.

— Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow him on Twitter: @tdewey33.