Men's Golf Tees Off Season At Washington State Tournament
9/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 13, 2009
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University's men's golf team will open the 2009-10 golf season Monday and Tuesday at the 2009 Palouse Collegiate hosted by Washington State University.
The tournament will be the first men's collegiate tournament played at the 13-month old Palouse Ridge Golf Course that opened in August, 2008. The course will play 7,308 yard to par 72. The Cougars hosted a women's collegiate golf tournament a year ago.
The tournament will feature 13 teams. In addition to Gonzaga and WSU the field will include Boise State University, University of Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College, Loyola Marymount University, Sacramento State University, San Jose State University, Seattle University, Community Colleges of Spokane, UC Davis, University of Washington and Weber State University.
The tournament format will be 36 holes Monday beginning at 7:15 a.m. and 18 holes Tuesday beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Gonzaga head coach Robert Gray begins his 11th season with a veteran lineup for the season opener. Junior Kyle Huus qualified No. 1, senior Derek Cheney is at No. 2, freshman newcomer Travis Johnsen is at No. 3, senior Jason Azzarito is at No. 4 and sophomore Oliver Grabb is at No. 5. Junior Francis Santiago and freshman Kevin PArkhurst are expected to compete as individuals.
Huus and Cheney tied for fifth at last year's West Coast Conference Championship for the highest individual finish in Bulldog history. They also helped Gonzaga to a fifth-place finish, another milestone.
Azzarito transferred to Gonzaga last year from the Community Colleges of Spokane and Grabb saw limited action a year ago as a freshman.
With a solid blend of veterans and a couple of newcomers, Gray is optimistic the Bulldogs can continue to build on what they started a year ago.
"We return four of our five participants in last year's WCC Championship," Gray said. Kyle and Derek also had a strong summer and look to pick up where they left off last year."
Cheney has been selected captain and Gray said "his leadership will be instrumental in the team's camaraderie and for the younger players learning the ropes of Division I collegiate golf."
While Huus and Cheney would appear to be the cornerstone for success, Gray said everybody has renewed confidence and experience.
"Azzarito and Santiago return with more confidence and experience and should prove to be important factors throughout the season. Grabb has made great strides in his game during the summer with respectable finishes in a number of events in Colorado, including his 30th- place finish at the Colorado Stroke Play Championship.
But the two newcomers figure prominently in Gray's plans, both this year and in the long term.
"Johnsen (Wilsonville, Ore.) and Parkhurst (Vail, Ariz.) will have an immediate impact on the team. Both have had solid summer results with Travis finishing tied for fifth at the Oregon Men's Amateur and Kevin winning the Junior Golf Association of Arizona Boys State Championship," Gray said.
A new on-campus practice facility - dubbed A.M. Corner - provides an outdoor short-game area that is now fully matured.
"We will have the ability to really improve our short game with the multitude of shots it provides. Our schedule always demands a strong short game and A.M. Corner will be instrumental in preparing us for those events," Gray noted.
Gray enters the season with expectations at an all-time high.
"I'm really excited with the potential this team has to do some real positive things this year. Finishing the way we did at the WCC Championship last April and the successes the players have had this summer, I can't wait to get the team into competition and build on those accomplishments."
