Zags Open Season At Itani Quality Homes Collegiate Monday
9/7/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
SPOKANE, Wash. - Monday begins a new season for the Gonzaga University men's golf team; a season that both the players and Zag head coach Robert Gray are extremely excited for.
The Bulldogs open their fall season at the Itani Quality Homes Men's Golf Collegiate, hosted by Washington State University, at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash. The tournament will be held on both Monday and Tuesday with 36 holes played on Monday and 18 holes played on Tuesday.
"It's always nice to start the season with an event close to home," stated Gray of the tournament that will be held just 75 miles southeast of Spokane. "The travel is easy and all the players get to compete right away. It will be a good barometer for where we are in relation to meeting our team goals."
Gonzaga holds seven players on its roster this season - one more than last year - and each player will participate in the opening tournament. The Zags boast one senior, three juniors, two sophomores and a freshman on the squad.
"This is the most experience team in three years and we return all but one player from last season," explained Gray. "That experience should prove instrumental this season."
The squad is led by lone senior Peter Gullickson, along with junior James Fahy - who placed second at the West Coast Conference a season ago, and sophomore Sean Walsh, the 2013 WCC Freshman of the Year.
New to the team this year is Sean Carlino, a sophomore transfer from Grand Valley State University who hails from Hamilton, Ontario, and Charles Gal, a freshman from Long Beach, Calif.
Gonzaga looks to improve on their fifth place finish at the 2012 Itani Quality Homes Collegiate. Going into the final round last year, the Bulldogs were in fourth place and had a great opportunity to finish atop the standings.
"Last year we put ourselves in position to come out on top at this event going into the final round," Gray said. "This year, we'll be looking to do the same but put together a better final round. As always, we'll play the course and not the field. We can only control ourselves, not our competitors. If we can stay mentally tough and in the present we'll give ourselves the best opportunity to come out on top."
The Bulldogs goal, not only for this tournament, but for each tournament this season is to compete for the title in every event and Gray thinks the recipe for success comes from each player contributing and being consistent.
"We need everyone to contribute in order to meet our goals," explained Gray. "Last year we struggled with consistency from round-to-round until late in the season; mostly at the four and five spots. With an extra player on the roster, we'll have more depth and the ability to clean up those positions."
The Itani Quality Homes College is the first of five fall tournaments for Gonzaga. The Bulldogs will also participate in the Kikkor Husky Invitational (Sept. 16-17), Mark Simpson Colorado Invitation (Sept. 23-24), Brickyard Collegiate (Oct. 4-6) and the Bill Cullum Invitational (Oct. 21-22).
A few more tidbits on Itani Quality Homes Men's Golf Collegiate
Palouse Ridge Golf Club: The 7,308-yard course opened in August of 2008. It will play at par 70 for the Itani Quality Homes Men's Golf Collegiate.
The Field: In addition to Gonzaga and host Washington State, the Itani Quality Homes Men's Golf Collegiate field includes teams from Boise State, British Columbia, Cal State Chico, Cal State Fullerton, Idaho, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Seattle and Utah Valley.
Results: Live scoring will be available during the Itani Quality Homes Men's Golf Collegiate at www.golfstat.com.
Past Tournament Champions
2012 - Washington State; 2011 - San Jose State; 2010 - Washington State; 2009 - Washington State
