Confidence continues to grow for members of the ISU men’s golf team, with just two tournaments left in their fall schedule.

Practice was played at the Harvester Golf Club in Rhodes, Iowa, this week, one of the most prestigious courses in the state.

The Cyclones travel to Akron, Ohio, for the Firestone Invitational, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. The tournament will be played at the Firestone Country Club, which has a reputation for being a tough course with fast greens.

“We’re focusing on speed on the putting greens,” said ISU coach Andrew Tank.

“The greens at this tournament are very fast, and that’s what we’ve been focusing on at Harvester.”

The team is coming off of its best tournament of the season, finishing second at the D.A. Weibring Invitational, and seems to be picking up momentum in the opening stretch of the year.

Leading the team so far is Nate McCoy. The junior from Dowling Catholic medaled in an earlier tournament and finished in a tie for fifth at last week’s meet.

“I feel good. I am confident in my routine and my pre-tournament preparation. I just have to play my game,” McCoy said.

Last week Tank and assistant Patrick Datz shook up the lineup and started sophomore Borja Virto over Nathan Leary, who had been struggling as of late. It proved to be the right decision as Virto finished in a tie for fifth overall with McCoy.

This past week of qualifying has Leary and Tom Lathrop sneaking into the lineup along with Virto and the consistent Michael Wuertz and McCoy.

The team is feeling poised to have another strong tournament and hopes to keep things rolling right along.

“We’re always looking to make improvements,” Tank said.

“I feel great about how everyone’s been preparing. Hopefully it’ll show in our performance in Akron.”