Rebels’ tourney is measuring stick

He had just left the 18th green at Southern Highlands Golf Club with a 3-under-par 69. As Blake Biddle joined his teammates, he was hoping he had done enough to help UNLV win its home tournament.

Sure enough, Biddle and the Rebels had prevailed by one stroke over California to win the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters for the fourth time in five years. Biddle, who played Southern Highlands to par or better over the three-day, 54-hole event last year, had won the individual title, his first as a collegian.

Now, Biddle and the Rebels are hoping history repeats itself when the 54-hole event begins today with UNLV hosting nine of the nation’s top 10 teams, including No. 1 Cal, in the 15-team field at Southern Highlands.

“We believe we can play with anybody,” said Biddle, a junior from St. Charles, Ill. “We know how well we play at Southern Highlands, and we’re very comfortable playing the course. But we still have to go out there and perform. No one’s going to give us anything.”

The Rebels, ranked 40th nationally by Golfweek, are coming off a sixth-place finish at last month’s John Burns Invitational in Hawaii. Coach Dwaine Knight has made a lineup change, replacing freshman Zane Thomas with sophomore Kurt Kitiyama. Biddle, senior Kevin Penner, freshman AJ McInerney and sophomore Carl Jonson round out the UNLV lineup.

“We had a very competitive qualifying,” Knight said.

When it comes to being competitive, Biddle is the least of Knight’s concerns.

“He has a similar determination to Ryan Moore,” Knight said of the comparison to the former UNLV All-American and current player on the PGA Tour. “Blake is pretty resilient, and he loves to compete.”

Biddle, who won his second title in November when he tied for first at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate in Las Cruces, N.M., said he always has been that way.

“I’ve always competed against people older than me, and I think that’s been part of me,” he said. “I don’t like to lose.”

A solid ball striker, Biddle has learned to think his way around the course.

“My course management, my patience, knowing my limits, knowing what shots to play — all of that has gotten better,” he said. “You can’t always go for it. Sometimes, par is your friend.”

Knight said he doesn’t mess much with Biddle’s game.

“He does things his own way,” Knight said. “He has his own swing, and he’s comfortable with it. He could always putt, and he’s always had the shot selection. Now, he has the experience to go with the physical tools, and he’s become a really talented player.”

Biddle’s victory last year at Southern Highlands reinforced his belief he could compete at this level. In 2011, he advanced to the round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur, losing on the fifth playoff hole.

From that point, he has not lacked confidence.

“I’ve grown so much as a player and a person since I came to UNLV,” he said. “Coach Knight has been tremendous to me. We’ve got a great group of guys, and it’s the best place you can be if you’re serious about golf with the great weather and the great courses we get to play and practice on at Southern Highlands and Shadow Creek.”

UNLV is paired with No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Alabama and will tee off at 8:45 a.m. in today’s first round.

“Hawaii was disappointing,” Biddle said. “I think we got humbled a bit. But I believe we’re a better team than last year, and we have a chance to prove it by winning our tournament.”

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