Wednesday, Dec. 9, 1998 | 3:18 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand's golf notebook appears Wednesday. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4089.
You will have to excuse UNLV golf coach Dwaine Knight if he seems reluctant to usher in the New Year.
After all, the Rebels won six tournaments in 1998, capped last season by winning the program's first national championship and concluded the fall season last month by winning the prestigious Golf World Invitational in Hilton Head, S.C.
"I couldn't have imagined a year like we had," Knight said. "I'm going to hate to see 1998 go out because it was really spectacular and very magical in a lot of ways."
Last year's team won a school-record seven tournaments -- dating to September 1997 -- and this year's squad has shown signs of the reaching the lofty preseason expectations.
Although the Rebels won only one tournament this fall, it came in the season-ending Golf World Invitational, which featured 11 of the top-20 teams in the nation.
But, because UNLV played in one less tournament than most of the other schools, it finished the fall campaign ranked fourth in the nation after opening the season as the No. 1 team
"We played five tournaments last fall but the trip to Japan (this year) hurt us as far as being able to play a full schedule," Knight said. "It's a tough tournament to go to but it's fun for the kids to get that opportunity once every four year.
"But it does hurt you as far as putting a lot of points up as far as the (poll) goes. Where we're ranked, considering that and having played poorly in Japan, we're really in pretty good shape."
And Knight wasn't referring just to the polls.
"I feel real good about the team," he said. "I think we've come a long way. Losing (team leader Bill Lunde to graduation) was a big void to fill but we're starting to be able to look to Jeremy (Anderson) now for some big rounds.
"Charlie Hoffman played two big rounds at Golf World to get us into contention and if we just step up a little bit more, I think we can be real serious."
After competing in the Golf World event, Rebel junior Anderson won the Savane College All-America Golf Classic in El Paso, Texas, on Nov. 24. It was Anderson's second individual championship of the fall.
In their penultimate tournament of the year, the Rebels finished second out of 12 teams in the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Ala.
"With those three tournaments finishing up the fall, that was kind of a nice Christmas present for us," Knight said.
There is one more present Knight would like to unwrap this holiday season. Senator Richard Bryan and Sun publisher Brian Greenspun have been working to have the national championship UNLV golf honored at a White House ceremony.
While Presidents in the past have honored national championship football and basketball teams, it is believed UNLV would be the first collegiate golf team so recognized.
Gridiron Classic
The Las Vegas chapter of the National Football Foundation will host the Las Vegas Bowl VII Gridiron Golf Classic on Thursday, Dec. 17 at Stallion Mountain Country Club.
Entry fee for the tournament is $175 per player and all proceeds will be donated to the local NFF chapter. Call 795-7772 for additional information.
Chip shots
The USA cable network (Cox Cable channel 34) will launch a new weekly golf preview show to complement the network's 12-event deal with the PGA Tour. Called "PGA Tour's Tee It Up," the show will debut Jan. 31 and will run every Sunday morning at 8 a.m. The show will be hosted by Bill Patrick and will review the week's events on the PGA Tour and preview the final round of that day's tournament. ...
The Golf Channel plans to televise more than 70 live tournaments in 1999, including early-round coverage of 10 PGA Tour events. ... Mark O'Meara, Se Ri Pak and Hale Irwin were winners of the 1998 Player of the Year Awards as voted on by the Golf Writers Association of America.
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