History repeats in UNLV golf team win

Before his team teed off Sunday in the final round of the Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship, UNLV men's golf coach Dwaine Knight gave his players a history lesson.

In 1996, UNLV trailed Oklahoma State by 12 shots entering the final round of the Golf Digest Collegiate in Houston and came back to win. Knight told his players they were capable of repeating that feat.

The Rebels responded, getting a round of 3-under-par 69 from junior Eddie Olson and two clutch sand saves over the last two holes from junior Brett Kanda, who also had a final-round 69. They also kept bogeys to a minimum on the back nine and used a little luck to defeat Oklahoma State, which was unable to hold a 12-shot lead at Southern Highlands Golf Club.

UNLV retained its title, finishing at 9-under 855 -- a stroke ahead of the Cowboys. Georgia finished third at 6-over 870.

"I'm really proud of our guys," Knight said. "We got some big rounds, and it was really fun watching them fight. It was like the old Rebels out there."

Olson, who had a key birdie at No. 17, said: "It's huge. We haven't played well the last couple of tournaments. We're a young team, and to come from 12 back, it's going to really help our confidence. We'll draw on this experience for the rest of the year."

The difference between winning and possibly losing was a bogey at the par-5 18th by Oklahoma State's Morgan Hoffmann, the star of Saturday's second round.

Hoffmann set a course record the day before with a 10-under 62. On Sunday, he missed a 4-foot par putt and finished with a 4-over 76. Had he made the putt, it would have forced a playoff.

Hoffmann's 76 also cost him the individual title. Georgia Tech's Cameron Tringale took medalist honors with a final-round 69 to finish at 11-under 205. Southern California's Matthew Giles tied for second with Hoffmann at 210.

Just minutes before Hoffman missed, Kanda got up-and-down on No. 18, hitting to within 4 feet, and drained a putt to save par. He did the same at the par-3 17th to save par and said practicing at Southern Highlands was the key.

"Coach puts us in there a lot," he said, pointing to the bunker at No. 18. "So it wasn't the first time I've been there. I guess practice makes perfect."

UNLV had bogey issues on the back nine in the first two rounds. The Rebels cleaned up their act Sunday, carding just four bogeys by the four players whose scores counted while making six birdies. Two of the birdies came from Ji Moon, who played the back nine in 1 under and shot 71.

"We needed a spark, and I think you'll see us build on this," Knight said. "Not many people expected us to be here (in contention). So that makes it extra special."

Oklahoma State, which shot 7 over Sunday, wasn't the only team to wilt under pressure. Arizona, which came into the final round in third place, only three shots behind UNLV, shot 28 over and finished in ninth place.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.