The Cyclones have seen success with individual wins. Now they also want a team victory.

This week, the ISU men’s golf team will travel to Akron, Ohio, to participate in the Firestone Invitational. The team had a victory in sight at the Rees Jones Invitational last week, leading after two rounds by four shots. A few higher scores from each player resulted in a third-place finish overall for the team.

“It’s how golf is sometimes,” said coach Andrew Tank. “Bad days can sneak up on you and unfortunately we had some high scores on that last round. I think we will be better prepared when we are in that position again.”

Senior golfer Nate McCoy and freshman golfer Scott Fernandez have won the previous two tournaments for the Cyclones. McCoy is glad to finally see a good outing after struggling a little in the first two tournaments.

“It feels pretty good,” McCoy said. “It shows how deep our team is getting. Backing up a win is a really good feeling.”

While McCoy won last week, Fernandez had a solid first day but struggled in the final round.

“I wasn’t completely comfortable with my swing on the second day,” Fernandez said. “I made big mistakes putting as well. My hitting is much better now and am looking forward to the next tournament.”

Even with the success, McCoy and the others continue to build on the short game and their pre-shot routines.

“We’ve been practicing our putting and replicating our strokes this week,” McCoy said. “A lot of the stuff we are working on is the same as last week, just going through our routine.”

Fernandez won’t have to ponder the tough last round he had for too long. He believes the course better suits his game, and works to make adjustments on the other courses he plays at.

“I’m learning what to do and how to prepare for the course,” Fernandez said. “I always just went out and wanted to play. Now if I get into previous situations I’ve been in, I know what to do.”

Last week’s course was alternate from what the Cyclones are used to playing on with different grass and plenty of hazards. This week at the Firestone Country Club, the course is more familiar to these players.

“This course is similar to a more traditional and classic tree-line golf course,” Tank said. “It’s something that’s more comfortable with our players. It should be a good test for us.”

The Cyclones will have four of the five same players in the field: McCoy, Fernandez, sophomore Duncan Croudis and freshman Sam Daley. Redshirt freshman Andrew Peter will make his debut.

As well as both McCoy and Fernandez have done, Tank sees a bright future for the rest of his team.

“We have other guys that are capable of that success as well,” Tank said. “Knowing that they are practicing and competing with Nate and Scott gives them a lot of confidence going into a tournament.”