Though they won’t be battling the rocky shores, ocean breezes and tricky par-3’s – the likes of which Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods battled in U.S. Open victories at Pebble Beach – the five Cougar golfers headed to Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California will have a chance to make a statement of their own this week.

Representing the Cougars in the five varsity slots at the Saint Mary’s Invitational, which begins today, will be sophomore Zach Anderson, senior Evan Omelia, sophomore Derek Bayley, junior Nick Mandell and freshman Aaron Whalen.

The Saint Mary’s Invitational is in no way the competition with the greatest magnitude or prestige for the men’s golf team this season, but it will serve as a nice barometer for the Cougs as the fall season gets underway.

The three-day event will take place at Poppy Hills Golf Course, a 6,868-yard, par-71 track.

The 15-team field will include fellow Pac-12 teams Arizona and Oregon State, host Saint Mary’s and renowned programs such as San Diego State and Santa Clara.

Fifth-year Head Coach Garrett Clegg said his team is in for a battle this week, however, feels that with his 5-man recruiting class, the team’s depth and intrasquad competition will enable the program to begin taking that next step to compete with the west coast elite.

Transfers Ryan Baumgart and Seth Nickerson, as well as freshmen Grant Cole, AJ Armstrong and Whalen, comprise the new additions to the team.

Clegg said that with a younger team, the senior leadership of Omelia and Bhurinat Songpaiboon will play a substantial role in the direction the program goes this year.

Tee times for the Saint Mary’s Invitational begin at 7:30 a.m. today for the first of three 18-hole rounds. Live results will be available during tournament play at birdiefire.com. Tournament results will be posted at wsucougars.com at the end of each day of competition.

Reporting by Brady Johnson