SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Santa Clara men's golf team tees up its 2014 fall season Monday competing in the 16-team Saint Mary's Invitational. The 54-hole event will be played at the Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Courses in Seaside, Calif.

Teams and individuals will play 36 holes on Monday, 18 on each course, and play the final 18 holes on Tuesday on the 7,104-yard, par 72 Bayonet course. The West Coast Conference will be well represented in the 16-team field with host Saint Mary's, Loyola Marymount, Pacific, San Diego and USF scheduled to compete along with Santa Clara.

"It gives us an idea early of how things shape up in the conference," said 10th-year head coach Rob Miller. "It's not a great indicator, but it gives us an early look at who has what."

There are no seniors on the Broncos' seven-player roster, but Miller doesn't see leadership and experience being an issue for the 2014-15 team. "They're young but experienced," he said. "They've all played a lot of events so there shouldn't be many surprises. Our juniors are veterans but still relatively young."

Members of the junior class, who have all been major contributors during their careers, consist of two-time honorable mention All-West Coast Conference pick Gio Gandionco (Cebu City, Philippines), Carlos Briones (San Lorenzo, Calif.) and Drew Miller (Thousand Oaks, Calif.). The three have combined to play 141 rounds and 49 events over the previous two seasons.

Last season's WCC Freshman of the Year Tyler Kertson (Paradise Valley, Ariz) returns after leading the team with eight sub-par rounds and a 73.45 stroke average. He competed in all 33 rounds over 11 events.

Freshman Hayden Shieh (Fremont, Calif.) is the lone first-year player on the squad and Coach Miller likes what he sees. "He's looked real good," Miller said. "He's excited to be here and get started. He knows what he's doing."

Sophomores Evan McLeod (Pebble Beach, Calif.), an honorable mention all-conference pick last season after compiling a 74.75 stroke average while playing in all but one event, and Michael Hultquist (Lake Forest, Ill.) complete the roster.

Miller likes the makeup of his team for the season. "We're very talented," he noted. "Our talent level is there for us to accomplish a lot this season. We're not real deep so it's important for us to say healthy throughout the season."

Shieh, Kertson, McLeod, Briones and Gandionco will make up the Broncos' five-player team for the Saint Mary's Invitational with Hultquist playing as an individual, according to Coach Miller. And he likes his team's chances. "It's early so it's hard to determine who's going to be good, but there's nobody in the field we think we can't beat."

For live scoring of the Saint Mary's Invitational visit www.birdiefire.com.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

Name: Saint Mary's Invitational

Dates (Site): Monday-Tuesday, Sept. 15-16 (Seaside, Calif.)

Host: Saint Mary's

Field (16 teams): Boise State, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Florida Gulf Coast, Fresno State, Kansas State, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, Pacific, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, UC Davis and UC Riverside

Details: 36 holes played Monday with 18 being played on each course. The final 18 holes will be played Tuesday at Bayonet GC. Both days will tee off at 8:00 a.m. with a shotgun start

Courses: Bayonet Golf Course / Blackhorse Golf Course

Yardage-Par: 7,104 yards-Par 72 / 7,024 yards-Par 72

Course Website: www.bayonetblackhorse.com

Course Number: (831) 899-7271 (PAR1)

Live Scoring: www.birdiefire.com/tournament/5844/