SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Gonzaga men's golf team begins their 2016-17 schedule at the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate Monday and Tuesday.

The annual tournament returns to the 7,308-yard Palouse Ridge Golf Club on the Washington State campus. The two-day, 54-hole event features 13 teams on the par-72 course.

The Zags return to the tournament for the first time since 2013, when they opened that season with an eighth-place finish. James Fahy led GU with a one-over finish in a tie for 16th place. As a team, the Bulldogs were 23-over.

Gonzaga placed fifth in the event in 2012. This year marks the tournament's eighth occurrence in Pullman, but the fifth year that Itani Quality Homes has sponsored. This will be the fifth appearance in the tournament for the Bulldogs. Washington State is the defending champion and has won the title every year except for 2011 and 2014.

"We're excited to get the season started at Palouse Ridge," Gonzaga Head Coach Robert Gray said. "First off, it's going to be a whole new dynamic for myself and the returners having a second coach on the course with Scott Kim joining the program this year. Secondly, Scott and I are very excited to get the season started to see where we are heading into the season. We have great group of young men and the team energy has been fantastic!"

The Zags welcome back a talented group with some vital experience and eager to lead in the new season. Ryan Gaske and Angus Montgomery return for their senior seasons, while Will Brueckner, Ben DuBois, and David Ganz complete a loaded upperclassmen majority.

Gaske had a top-20 finish at the West Coast Conference Championships last season. He had the second-lowest scoring average on the team at 75.48. Montgomery was close behind with a 75.48 average. Both were named Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars last season. Gaske was also Academic All-WCC.

Tyler Munetake had a breakout freshman season in 2015-16. He ended the year with a 76.14 average and a relative to par at five-over. Munetake ended the season with his lowest round of 69 in the final round of the West Coast Conference Championships. He placed 23rd at the WCC Championships.

Chris Mogg and Nick Nolan join the Zags this season. The incoming freshman duo were high school standouts from the west side of Washington. Mogg comes from Sammamish's Skyline High School, while Nolan went to Bellingham High School.

Unfortunately, Will Brueckner is out for the season with an injury, so he won't be attending," Gray said. "He's a great player and he'll definitely be missed. However, we'll have the remaining seven players participating with Ryan Gaske, Nick Nolan, David Ganz, Ben DuBois, and Chris Mogg representing the top-five and Angus Montgomery and Tyler Munetake participating as individuals. This is a great opportunity for us to see all of the team members in competition at the same time at the beginning of the season."

Live scoring from the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate will be available on GoZags.com. Both days begin with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.