Las Vegas, Nevada (March 17, 2011)–It wasn't exactly a title defense, but the UNLV golf team can't win every tournament in Las Vegas. Recently, the UNLV Men's golf team recorded a 7th place finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters played at one of the Las Vegas' most exclusive golf courses, Southern Highlands Golf Club, the team's home course. Arch rival Oklahoma State won the tournament. –Staff report.
The UNLV men’s golf team shot a final-round 7-over-par 295 during the final round while Oklahoma State shot a final-round low 5-under 283 and won the team title by seven shots at 1-under 863. Texas A&M finished second at 6-over, followed by California at 9-over, UCLA at 12-over and Arizona State at 25-over. Georgia was sixth at 26-over and UNLV finished seventh at 27-over 891.
Individually, Oklahoma State’s Morgan Hoffmann won medalist honors at 10-under 206 for the tournament. He shot a final-round 3-under 69 and won by two shots. Texas A&M’s Jordan Russell finished second at 8-under and he was followed by UCLA’s Patrick Cantlay at 3-under.
UNLV junior Derek Ernst was 2-under 70 on Sunday and turned in the Rebels’ best individual performance with a tie for ninth place at 3-over 219. Senior Jeremiah Wooding shot 3-over during the final round to finish in a tie for 17th at 6-over 222. Freshman Blake Biddle finished tied for 33rd at 9-over 225 after a final-round 75, junior Colby Smith tied for 42nd at 11-over 227 after a final-round 77 and sophomore Kevin Penner was 3-over on Sunday but finished 77th because he didn’t complete the first round.
Three UNLV golfers competed as individuals only: sophomore Arthur Kim finished 68th after a final-round 81, freshman Nicholas Maruri finished 72nd after a final-round 84, and freshman Max Kraemer finished 75th after a final-round 83. The 15-team, 80-individual tournament featured 11 of the nation’s top-30 teams according to the GolfStat rankings. And annually the tournament is referred to as the Masters of college golf because of the amazing talent assembled. UNLV will be back in action March 21-22 at the National Invitational Tournament in Tucson, Ariz. File photo by UNLV golf. Portions of this article supplied by UNLV Sports Information.