Jeremy Lyons will walk more than just a mile in another man’s shoes Thursday.

In honor of injured teammates Tyler Swanson and Curtis Foster, Lyons, an ISU senior, will wear a pair of Swanson’s shoes in this weekend’s NCAA Men’s Golf Central Regional tournament.

“It’s a cool thing to do for [Tyler] since he can’t be there watching,” Lyons said. “I kind of feel like I’m playing for him.”

Swanson and Foster are still recovering from injuries sustained in a May 2 car accident near Grinnell.

Swanson remains in the hospital but is making improvements, Lyons said.

“[Tyler] has been opening his eyes and improving a lot,” Lyons said. “Curtis has been home almost a week and a half and is doing really well.”

This isn’t the first time Lyons has worn a pair of Swanson’s shoes in a tournament.

“I had to do it one other time,” Lyons said. “[The 2002 Fairway Club Invitational] was actually [Tyler’s] first-ever tournament in college. I forgot my shoes and had to wear his.”

Though he said Swanson’s shoes are bigger than his, Lyons proved the size difference didn’t matter as he went on to win the tournament.

Lyons said playing in the regionals with his injured teammates on his mind will be a new and difficult experience.

“I’ve never really had to do it before. I’m guessing it’s not going to be easy,” Lyons said. “Even just playing around here, your mind kind of wanders thinking about them. Hopefully I can handle it, and hopefully I can block it out for 18 holes each day.”

ISU men’s golf head coach Jay Horton believes Lyons will be able to fight through his thoughts in the tournament.

“He’ll focus on it; he wants to play well for them and bring back some good news,” Horton said. “It was hard for all of us right away, but he’s got to go out and play well and concentrate on himself. He’ll do fine.”

After a disappointing final round at the Big 12 tournament, Lyons wasn’t sure he would even get an invitation to the tournament.

“After the Big 12s, I didn’t think I was going to make it at first; but the way things turned out, I thought I had a shot,” Lyons said.

“It’ll be nice to redeem myself after the 81 at Big 12s.”

Horton said Lyons’ performance at the Big 12 tournament will help him at regionals.

“He had a shot to finish well at Big 12s, he just slipped up the last round, but that should be a good gauge for him to know he can play with those guys,” Horton said.

“If he has a better final round, he should be able to fare really well.”

The 54-hole Central Regional will take place at the Kampen Course at the Brick Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind., beginning Thursday and ending Saturday.

Lyons has never seen the course before, but Horton has and said it will fit Lyons’ game well.

“It’s a golf course that’s pretty hard, and it sounds like it’s going to be raining all week, so it should be pretty tough conditions,” Horton said. “That will fare well for him; he’s kind of a mudder and a grinder.”

Lyons said he will have extra help in preparation.

“One of my friends from Indianapolis is going to come up during the practice round and walk me through it. It sounds like a good course,” Lyons said.

The Central Regional features eight teams from the Big 12, with the top 10 teams advancing to nationals. For Lyons to advance, he must be one of the top two individuals who are not on advancing teams.

Horton said he likes Lyons’ chances of moving on to the championships.

“He’s played great his whole career and really well this last spring, and he’s excited to go compete this week,” Horton said. “I think he’s one of the best players around, and I know he thinks he’s one of the best players around.”