Rebel-to-be McInerney, 17, feeling no pressure in U.S. Amateur test

Coronado High School senior AJ McInerney is still a year away from his freshman season at UNLV, but he'll be testing his golf skills against the nation's leading amateurs in the U.S. Amateur starting today at Erin, Wis.

McInerney, 17, tees off at 5:50 a.m. PDT to begin 36 holes of stroke play.

"If I can play my game, I know I can hang with them," McInerney said. "I just have to trust myself, relax and go have fun. There's really no pressure on me."

UNLV's Derek Ernst, Kevin Penner and Blake Biddle are also scheduled to play, as are John Hahn of Las Vegas and Joseph Harrison of Boulder City.

PGA Tour player Ryan Moore, then of UNLV, won the tournament in 2004.

McInerney, No. 24 in the American Junior Golf Association rankings, said the experience he gains this week can only help when he and the rest of UNLV coach Dwaine Knight's well-regarded recruiting class begin their college careers in 2012. The class includes Coronado teammate Kenden Slattery and Arbor View's Zane Thomas.

"There's a lot of great players in the field," McInerney said. "But I've been playing better the last few weeks. I have a new putter and it seems to be working well."

McInerney had a bulging disk in his back that limited his activity during the spring. He took time off in the summer and played his way into the Amateur by placing third in the 36-hole sectional qualifier on Aug. 2 at Llano, Calif.

"I'm feeling much better," McInerney said. "It's hard to play good golf when you have a bad back. The time off really helped me, and I'm ready to go."

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