IGA Player of the Year – Nate McCoy

Nate McCoy has been named the IGA Men’s Player of the Year after one of the greatest seasons in the history of Iowa Golf. The now two-time IGA Player of the Year ran away with the title after compiling five victories this season.

McCoy opened the season with a win at The Classic in Marshalltown. He totaled 85 points in the stableford format to claim a three-point win. McCoy followed up his early success with a first-time win at the IGA Mid-Amateur Championship.

The next two tournaments, McCoy recorded a fourth-place finish at the Lake Creek Amateur along with a runner-up finish at the Carroll Amateur. Next on the schedule for McCoy was the Iowa Match Play Championship. 

Entering the 64-player bracket, the No. 11 seeded McCoy continued his success and dominated his early matches. Making it to the final round, McCoy had his toughest test yet against Willis Gaer. McCoy and Willis went back-and-forth, but McCoy was able to secure the win on the final hole and win his first Iowa Match Play Championship title. 

Coming off his Iowa Match Play Championship victory, McCoy traveled to the Fort Dodge Amateur and placed third overall. After recording his sixth top-five finish, McCoy was headed to a course he knew well, Veenker Memorial Golf Course. 

During the Iowa Masters, McCoy posted his lowest round of the year with a second round 64. This gave him a lead and McCoy never let it go. Winning his fourth tournament of the season gave McCoy a huge boost of confidence going into the Iowa Amateur Championship. 

After the first round, McCoy was tied for first place after carding a four-under 67. In round two, runner-up finisher, Nate Vance, crept into a tie for first alongside McCoy going into the final round. McCoy lit a switch during the final round and ran away with his first Iowa Amateur title.

Seeking a win in all four Iowa Golf Association major tournaments, McCoy wrapped up his season at the Herman Sani Tournament, where he finished tied for third place in the Amateur Division. Late in the final round, McCoy gave himself a shot at a win with a four-under 67. 

Now a two-time IGA Player of the Year, McCoy’s 2022 season was nothing short of spectacular. McCoy was able to win three of the Iowa Golf Association four major tournaments (IGA Mid-Amateur, Iowa Match Play, Iowa Amateur) and win the player of the year race by 747.5 points.

IGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year – Mike McCoy

Mike McCoy claimed his third IGA Senior Player of the Year title after a remarkable season. The 11-time IGA Player of the Year continues his dominance in the state of Iowa. McCoy took his 2022 season to the national level.

In July, McCoy joined Gene Elliott as an R&A Senior Amateur Champion. McCoy won the national championship by seven shots. His dominating performance overseas gave him 1,800 points in the IGA Senior Player of the Year race. 

Following McCoy’s national achievement, he placed inside the top-five in the Senior Division at the Herman Sani Tournament. McCoy fired a first round 71 and then back-to-back rounds of 75 to earn 155 player of the year points. 

With some positive momentum, McCoy went on to make the Round of 16 at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship. With another 750 points added to his season total, McCoy started to gain a comfortable lead. 

To conclude the season, McCoy headed back to the U.S. Mid-Amateur, which he was crowned champion at in 2013. McCoy went on to make the match play portion of the championship but fell short in his first match. 

McCoy finished with a 795-point lead over the defending IGA Senior Player of the Year Champion, Joe Palmer. With 14 total player of the year titles, McCoy will only continue to make his mark in the history of Iowa Golf.

IGA Super Senior Player of the Year – Pat Ryan 

The 2021 IGA Super Senior Player of the Year does it again, but this time in a comeback fashion. Pat Ryan, of Marshalltown, earned the 2022 IGA Super Senior Player of the Year by 47.5 points over Rob Christensen. 

Ryan began his season with a seventh-place tie at the 37th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship. Following his top-10 finish, Ryan went on to make a quarterfinal round appearance at the 20th IGA Senior Match Play. 

Heading south, Ryan grabbed his first victory of the season at the Southeast Iowa Amateur Championship. Ryan won by four shots after carding rounds of 75 and a final round 70 to finish with a 145 tally. 

Next, he placed inside the top-10 at the Fort Dodge Amateur and notched a round of 64 appearance at the 34th IGA Match Play Championship. Ryan’s season was off to a solid start, but there was still work to be done to catch the point leaders. 

Catching fire in early August was need for Ryan to make a run at back-to-back IGA Super Senior Player of the Year titles. Starting his late run with a win at the Iowa Open kept the door open for Ryan. 

Ryan punched in another victory at the Herman Sani Tournament, giving him the late lead in the points standings. Ryan closed out the race with a 12th place tie at the 44th Iowa Senior Amateur Championship and a tie for sixth place finish at the Briarwood Amateur.