Mike, Nate McCoy Relishing Father-Son Moment at U.S. Mid-Amateur

Late Tuesday afternoon, with the sun setting over the nearby Hudson River that can be seen from the balcony of Sleepy Hollow Country Club, site of the 42nd U.S. Mid-Amateur, Mike and Nate McCoy sat down for a post-match adult beverage. Mike, who just guided the USA Walker Cup Team to a fourth consecutive victory over Great Britain & Ireland at St. Andrews in Scotland, had withdrawn from this championship on Sunday due to a lingering illness. Nate had just completed a pair of dramatic 1-up victories – his first in any USGA event – to reach the final 16. His second-round victim, Andrew Sajevic, had joined them at the outdoor location. Andrew also knows about father/son golf bonds as he’s played with his dad, John, in multiple U.S. Amateur Four-Balls and will do so again in 2024. With his father nervously watching from the side, Nate continued the family’s legacy of brilliant golf. “It’s surreal,” said Nate, whose dad caddied for him in the second stroke-play round at co-host Fenway Golf Club. Two weeks ago, Nate was in Scotland to watch the USA rally on Sunday for a 3-point victory. His father is one of Iowa’s most decorated players. He won the U.S. Mid-Amateur 10 years ago at the age of 50 (second-oldest champion). He played on the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team. He’s won five Iowa Amateur and six Iowa Mid-Amateur titles and garnered player-of-the-year honors in the state a record 11 times. Nate hasn’t reached that level yet. But the 33-year-old director of handicapping and course rating for the Iowa Golf Association has the chops to win a USGA title. He faced one of his dad’s Walker Cup charges, 2-time U.S. Mid-Am champ Stewart Hagestad in the Round of 16 on Wednesday morning. But no matter the outcome, Nate said this has already been the best week of his golf life.