It’s been a long wait for the ISU men’s golf team.

At this point last season, the Cyclones were preparing for their third of five tournaments. This year’s schedule differs: Their first three tournaments are stacked in a fifteen-day stretch, beginning with the Virginia Commonwealth University Shootout on Sept. 22 and 23.

“It’s definitely felt strange with the slower start. We’re going to have four full weeks of class before we’re competing,” said head coach Andrew Tank. “I think we’re a little bit anxious to get going, but I think also if we use our time right this week, we can be really prepared for the three events.”

The Cyclones will be the only team in the field to make their debut this week, but senior Scott Fernandez insisted it should not be a problem for the team.

“I think it plays to our advantage since we’re really ready for the first one,” Fernandez said. “Most of us have played tournaments throughout the summer, so it’s not like in the winter where you’re starting again. We’ve all been playing and practicing for three months. We’re hungry for golf.”

Another reason Fernandez might not have concerns for the late start is his past success at the host course at Hermitage Country Club. The VCU Shootout was the site of his first medalist honors in 2011. Since then, Fernandez has also finished tied for nineteenth and tied for second place.

His strong scores have led the team to finishes on the upper-half of the leaderboard in the past three seasons, including a runner-up finish last season.

“It’s a great event. We really like the golf course,” Tank said. “Nate McCoy was a past champion. Scott’s won. Collin Foster was leading after 36 holes last year. The team finished second. It’s a good place to start the season.”

Using the final rankings from the 2013-14 season, No. 42 Iowa State is the second-highest ranked team in the field behind No. 21 Virginia Tech, who beat the Cyclones by 22 strokes at last year’s event.

In a relatively weak field that features only four top-100 teams, the Cyclones may have one of their best chances to break through for a victory after knocking on the door last season with five runner-up finishes.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how we go against those teams,” said senior Sam Daley, who finished in 29th place at the 2013 VCU Shootout. “Virginia Tech was consistently ahead of us last season. With all five returning and continuing to get better, hopefully we can top Virginia Tech and some of those other schools and hopefully we can win a tournament this year.”