Ernst, Rebels golfers ride momentum into regional

He has a young team, but UNLV men's golf coach Dwaine Knight isn't about to temper its enthusiasm or aggressiveness as the Rebels prepare to play in their biggest tournament of the 2011 season.

UNLV tees off Thursday in the NCAA San Diego Regional at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., a confident group with its top golfer, junior Derek Ernst, playing superb and his teammates playing well behind him.

The Rebels, seeded sixth in the 13-team regional field, placed third in the Mountain West Conference Championships on May 7.

"I don't want to change a lot of the things we're doing," Knight said. "I like the way we're playing right now. We were in contention right up until the final hole (at the MWC), and we've been in that situation the last three tournaments where we had a chance to win. The only thing I'm looking for is maybe play just a little smarter and finish our rounds."

Knight is making one change, bringing back junior Colby Smith into the starting lineup after holding him out of the Mountain West tournament. Smith replaces sophomore Arthur Kim, who had a tough time at the conference tourney, shooting 37 over par.

"Colby's got the ability," Knight said. "But he was struggling the last few weeks, and I think he's regrouped and has looked really good in practice."

The rest of UNLV's lineup for Thursday's first round will be Ernst, sophomore Kevin Penner and freshmen Blake Biddle and Nicholas Maruri. The Rebels, who are making an NCAA-record 23rd consecutive appearance in regional play, will need to finish in the top five when the 54-hole tournament wraps up Saturday to advance to the national championships May 31 to June 5 in Stillwater, Okla.

Ernst's play has given UNLV a huge boost as it attempts to return to nationals. He won the individual title at the MWC championships and was named Conference Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. The last Rebel to do that was Ryan Moore in 2004 and 2005.

"I'm really happy for Derek," Knight said. "I think he's gotten more comfortable, and he's not putting as much pressure on himself. Getting his confidence back is huge for us."

Knight said The Farms is the type of course, at 6,947 yards, where a player can easily get into trouble. It is tight and short, offering little margin for error.

"Our guys haven't played it, so when we have our practice round (today), we need to see where the safe parts of the course are and try to plan accordingly," he said.

Ernst and Penner have won tournaments this year and have been playing well in the past month. Biddle, the conference's Freshman of the Year, has three top-10 finishes this spring. Smith, despite his struggles, has had his moments where everything clicked. Even Maruri had two good rounds at the Mountain West, including a 2-under-par 69 in the second round.

UCLA, ranked No. 2 in the nation, is the top seed and No. 12 Texas is No. 2.

"It (top-five finish) won't be easy," Knight said. "But we've got the talent to do it, and it would be a nice accomplishment for this group if we can advance."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.