The Washington State University men’s golf team is in search of their first victory this season today as they travel to Lihue, Hawaii for the John A. Burns Intercollegiate.

The field features 16 teams, including three-time defending champion and fourth-ranked California. Other Top 50 ranked teams include No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 18 New Mexico, No. 32 Brigham Young, and No. 38 UNLV.

Also competing are Arizona, Colorado State, Fresno State, UH Hilo, Long Beach State, Nevada, Pacific, Saint Mary’s, and UTEP.

Out of action for nearly four months, the WSU men’s golf team last competed at the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate in which they finished eighth.

The Cougars started their 2013-14 campaign on a positive note, capturing two victories out of the five tournaments they competed in. The Cougs achieved a first place win at Pullman’s very own Itani Quality Homes Collegiate, and a tie for first place at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in Erie, Colo. Both wins were followed by a second place finish at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

Individually, senior Blake Snyder notched an individual title, tying for first at the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate and then a second place finish at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational where he shot 1-under par.

Junior Michael Anderson is another strong arm for the Cougs as he recorded four top-10 finishes in the five tournaments, including a second-place finish at the Kikkor Golf Husky Invitational.

Redshirt-junior Sang Lee proved to be a strong contender for the WSU team, accomplishing two top-10 finishes, including an eighth-place finish at the Bridgestone Invitational.

Now ranked at No. 71 according to the Golfweek/Sagarin men’s team collegiate rankings, the Cougars will need to get in and focus on a tough league competition. The Cougars will face six of the Pac-12 schools that are currently ranked or receiving votes for the NCAA top 25.

“This team has a lot of talented players,” Head Coach Garrett Clegg said in a press release. “We are working each day to improve our golf games. It has been a very good offseason and the next few weeks will say a lot about how we prepared.”

The tournament pace is quick in the spring season. There is only a weekend between competitions as the WSU men’s golf team will follow its trip Hawaii with a stint Somis, Calif. where they will take part in the Jones Sports Invitational Monday, Feb. 24.

In March the Cougs will participate in the Bandon Dunes Championship, the ASU Thunderbird Invitational and the US Intercollegiate. Then travel to Iowa City, Iowa for the Hawkeye-Great River Entertainment Invitational, April 12-13. 

Live results for the next competition at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate will be available at golfstat.com and on The Daily Evergreen sports twitter, @Evergeensports.