The turnaround was short, but the Cyclones worked on pre-shot routine and how to handle situations under pressure.

That helped senior golfer Nate McCoy lead the way for the ISU men’s golf team in a brilliant showing at the Rees Jones Invitational.

McCoy shot rounds of 68, 70, and 72 to finish at 210 strokes and win medalist honors for the Cyclones in their second straight tournament. He finished nine strokes in front of second place and was the only player under par in the entire field.

“The course suits his game well,” said assistant coach Patrick Datz. “He’s a smart player, and stuck with the shots he focused on and hit it well. He had great confidence.”

This is the first time that the Cyclones have had back-to-back medalists since 1996 when it was Jason Knutzon and Chris Peterson.

As for the rest of the team improvement was slow. Sam Daley continues to improve, finishing tied for 15 after steady rounds of 74, 75 and 76 to receive 225 strokes.

Last week’s VCU Shootout champion Scott Fernandez struggled in his last round Tuesday, but shot rounds of 74, 73 and 82 to finish at 229 strokes and tied for 26th. Duncan Croudis improved each round with 82, 78 and 76 to finish at 236 strokes and tied for 45th. Zach Steffen rounded out the Cyclones with 83, 83 and 85 to finish at 251 strokes and 62nd.

The Cyclones as a team finished in third place with 900 total strokes. They had the lead after the first two rounds, but had 10 more strokes in the third round than the second round.

“Overall I was glad with the position we were in after the first two rounds, but a little disappointed in the last round,” said head coach Andrew Tank. “We may have been out of our comfort zone, but we will use it for the rest of the season.”

The next event for the ISU golf team is the Firestone Invitational at Akron, Ohio, beginning next Monday.