The ISU men’s golf team finished in second place at the Hawkeye-Great River Entertainment Invitational in Iowa City on Saturday.

Coach Andrew Tank said the team is starting to play all-around good golf, and the Cyclones had four players finish in the top 11 in Nate McCoy, Scott Fernandez, Borja Virto and Sam Daley.

“We have had good preparation,” Tank said. “The guys are getting ready to play their best golf and I feel like we have a lot of momentum going into the Big 12 Championship.”

There is always something the team believes it can improve on. Being so close to closing out the tournament and getting first place, the Cyclones  will continue their preparation to continue the success they have been having.

“Being two strokes away after three rounds is really close,” Tank said. “We really haven’t had the support from the fifth player in past tournaments and that is what we are really looking for and will need to improve on in the Big 12 Championships.”

Having the players really hitting their stride at the end of the year is what Tank was looking for and is excited about.

During the tournament in Iowa City, senior McCoy not only led his team to second place by earning medalist honors for finishing first as an individual, but he also set school and tournament records. In addition, McCoy was named Golfweek’s National Player of the Week for his performance.

“Confidence has been a main focal point in Nate’s success over his career,” Tank said. “I have been impressed on how he has been working on his game, and now that he has his confidence, he has just been playing really well.”

Going into the tournament, McCoy continued his regular preparation and focus points in practice to get himself ready for the Hawkeye-Great River Entertainment Invitational.

“[For this past week,] I focused on what I normally do in practice,” McCoy said. “I believed that if I could get the groove in my swing to where I needed it and be more confident, then that would free up everything else.”

Even though McCoy finished first — his third win in his career — he still believes there are things he can improve on in his game.

“There are always things that I believe I can get better on,” McCoy said. “I missed some fairways, I missed some putts. There are just always things that I can get better on.”

With McCoy’s third first-place finish, he also set two school records. He is the first ISU men’s golfer to shoot a 65 in a single round, which is 7-under par in 18 holes. He also broke the total score in a 54-hole tournament by totaling a 202.

“To be honest with you, I actually didn’t even know about it after I was done playing in the tournament,” McCoy said. “It is very exciting, but I just go out there to play the best golf that I can.”