The nationally-ranked UNLV golf team hosts the Southern Highlands Collegiate March 9-11 at the lavish and spectacular Southern Highlands Golf Club, one of the most beatufiful and best golf courses in Las Vegas. The field is filled with the best college teams and players in the nation. According to the Golfweek poll, five of the top 10 teams, and eight of the top 20 teams will be playing this week. The number 2 team Florida and the number 3 team Georgia will be here, and the 2007 defending NCAA national champion Oklahoma State–ranked number four this year–will be here. UNLV is ranked number 8 but is the two-time defending champion of this event. Brian Prouty (Arizona), Billy Horschel (Florida) and Brian Harman (Georgia), three of the top five-ranked individuals are scheduled to play.
By Brian Hurlburt, Golf Las Vegas Now editor
The event is unofficially dubbed the Masters of college golf because of the terrific field that annually tees it up in Las Vegas. In 2006, 13 of the top 15 teams in the country competed in the tournament. Southern Highlands was the last course designed by the father and son duo of Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and Sr. Golfweek Magazine has ranked this event as the number strength of field event in college golf for five-straight years.
"It will be another great field," says UNLV Head Coach Dwaine Knight. "What makes this event so special is that it is now usually ranked, by strength of schedule, as the best college golf event of the year, and that includes the NCAA Finals. A lot of the credit goes to the Las Vegas Founders and also Southern Highlands Golf Club and their owner Garry Goett. This has really become a prized invite for teams to have the chance to come and play here."
The Rebels are the two-time definding champions of the event, and are in position to win the event for an impressive third time. The Rebels finished 10 shots better than Georgia in 2006. Rebel Matt Kinsinger won the individual title, the first UNLV golfer to do so since Ryan Moore won it in 2003.
