Like peanut butter and jelly, Scott Fernandez and top-10 finishes just seem to go well together.

Fernandez has finished in the top 10 more often than not during his career — 29 times in 48 starts to be precise — and his total has him several spots ahead of the nearest Cyclone in ISU men’s golf history. Fernandez also found the top five in 19 of his 29 top 10s, reaching the winner’s circle four times.

To crack the somewhat objective, yet indicative measure of success that is a top-10 finish often comes easy for Fernandez, but such was not the case at the Big 12 Championship on Wednesday.

After a six-over-par front nine in his final round, Fernandez plummeted down the leaderboard. Seemingly out of nowhere, Fernandez flipped a switch, charging back with a three-under-par, bogey-free back nine of 32.

Fernandez had to work hard to claw back while battling Southern Hills Country Club, the former major championship venue that played to a 74.24 scoring average on the week, more than four strokes over par.

His hardest work of all came on his 72nd and final hole of the tournament, where drama unfolded between No. 20 Oklahoma State and No. 43 Iowa State on the 18th green.

Iowa State owned a two-shot lead for fourth place with two groups left on the course. First, Oklahoma State’s Zachary Olsen sunk an estimated 40-footer for birdie to draw within one.

Then, Fernandez saw another bomb drop in.

“Before I putted, the Oklahoma State guy made about an 80-footer from the edge of the green to the back left,” Fernandez said. “It was kind of on my line, so I saw some of the break. That helped me a little bit because I saw more break than I had thought.”

That Oklahoma State player was Jordan Niebrugge, who unbeknownst to Fernandez at the time, erased a one-shot deficit between Oklahoma State and Iowa State for fourth place in the team race. Fernandez faced a 15-footer that would nudge the Cyclones back ahead of the Cowboys and would put another feather in his cap by way of one more top-10 finish.

Undaunted by the pressure of the moment that his teammates and coaches who gathered to watch were fully aware of, Fernandez came through once again for his team. Using his knowledge of the break of Niebrugge’s putt, Fernandez rolled it in, securing his top-10 position along with his team’s fourth place finish.

“The guys were cheering pretty hard and they made it seem like something big, which it was. It was to take fourth place,” Fernandez said. “I was really pumped to finish strong.”

Thinking of the team finish ahead of his own accomplishment embodies Fernandez’s team approach, one that is not always common in players soon destined for a professional career.

Unlike his individual ranking in Golfweek’s individual rankings that has risen into the top 75, Fernandez’s ego has stayed grounded. His leadership off the course, alongside fellow senior Sam Daley, has played a strong supporting role to go with the myriad of records he has set in his four years in Ames.

“It’s been a treat to watch those two, for sure,” said redshirt junior Collin Foster. “Scott Fernandez is a top-10 machine [and a] great guy. The character of those two is top notch. You expect them to be kind of stuck up just a little bit, but it wasn’t the case at all.”

Drawing from confidence rather than arrogance, Fernandez expressed belief in his ability to lead his team beyond the NCAA regional tournament for the second consecutive year. It will be played May 14 to 16.

ISU coach Andrew Tank said an improved effort from his team’s Big 12 performance will be needed if Iowa State is to become one of 30 teams to compete at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., the site of the 2015 NCAA Championship.

“I don’t think it’s good enough. We’re going to need to play better for sure, but I think we’re going to learn a lot from this tournament,” Tank said. “This was awesome preparation for us with some of the best teams in the country on one of the best courses in the country, but we’re certainly going to need to play better than we did this week.”