Garrett Jones carried his momentum of winning the Greater Cedar Rapids Open right to a spot in this week's Web.com Tour event.

Formerly the Nationwide Tour until just recently, the Web.com Tour is one step short of the PGA Tour and Jones, who won the GCRO with a tournament-record 19-under par Sunday, continued his hot play Monday in the Open Qualifier for the Cox Classic. That 72-hole tournament begins Thursday at Champions Run Golf Course in Omaha, Neb.

Jones, GCRO first-round leader Chris Thompson of Lawrence, Kan., and 2011 GCRO winner Andy Winings and 22 other GCRO competitors all hit the road Sunday from Marion after the final round of the tournament to try and qualify for the Cox.

Jones and Thompson both shot 8-under par 64's at Tiburon Golf Club in Omaha and tied for second in that qualifier. Winings shot a 7-under-par 65 and tied for first in a second Cox qualifier at Bent Tree Golf Club in Council Bluffs, Iowa. All three will tee it up Thursday in the $650,000 Cox Classic, where first place pays $115,000.

Jones, who had rounds of 67-65-65 to win the GCRO, stayed red hot. He was 6 under in his round Monday when he bogeyed the par-3 16th hole. But he came back and birdied 17 and finished his round with an eagle on the par-5 18th hole. Thompson, who led the GCRO after Friday's first round but never got it going again after that, had eight birdies Monday in a bogey-free round.

Winings also had a bogey-free round at Bent Tree, recording five birdies and an eagle.

A total of 169 golfers teed off in the qualifiers with 25 of those coming right from the GCRO. Seven players out of each qualifier advanced to the Cox.

The GCRO came up just short of having a few more of its golfers make the Cox. At Bent Tree, Winings and two others had 67's and four golfers had 6-under-par 66's to advance. One shot short of forcing a playoff were 10 golfers including five who just played at Hunters Ridge – 2011 GCRO champ and Waterloo native Brock Mulder, native Australian Rhein Gibson of Edmond, Okla., Justin Hueber of Ft. Wayne, Ind., Matt Pridey of Sioux Falls, S.D. and Ryan Dillon of Phoenix, Ariz. Dillon tied for 10th at the GCRO.

Ryan Blaum, who also tied for 10th here, and James Vargas of Big Break fame, shot 3-under-par 69's, while former University of Iowa golfer Brad Hopfinger, Jeff Kellen of Rockford, Ill., and Jon Mansfield of Clearwater, Fla., all shot 2-under 70's. Other GCRO competitors failing to advance out of Bent Tree included Robby Ormand of Austin, Texas (1-under), Joel Thelen of Ft. Worth, Texas (1 under) and Cory Powell of Scottsdale, Ariz. (7 over). Ormand tied for fourth here.

At Tiburon, GCRO competitor Chase Wright of Bloomington, Ind., also fell one shot short of a playoff at that site, also with a 5-under 67.

Nate Barbee of Clive, Iowa, who tied for 10th here, shot a 3-under 69 Monday and failed to qualify. Waterloo native Derek Bohlen and 2012 GCRO runner-up Seth Fair of Brownsburg, Ind., shot 2-under 70's. Bryan Novoa and Andrew Koonce, both of Texas, were even par while Clark Collier of Edmond, Okla., and Greg Forest of Stuart, Fla., were at 73. Adam Tannehill of Wichita, Kansas, shot 74.

To keep track of those in the Cox go to www.pgatour.com and go to the Web.com link.

This entry was posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:46 AM and has received 525 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Steve Jones tells a story of his young son, Garrett, bringing his golf clubs inside their house and practicing his swing, sometimes taking chips out of the ceiling.

"They're still there today," laughed Steve of the damage.

On Sunday at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in the 14th annual Great Cedar Rapids Open, Garrett Jones may have taken a few big chips out of the wall en route to his eventual career choice, the PGA Tour.

The 27-year-old Rewey, Wis., native aggressively protected his second-round lead and went on to post a solid if not spectacular 7-under-par 65 for the second straight day and a tournament-record total 19-under-par 197. In turning back every opponent challenge, Jones went on to claim his biggest paycheck as a golfer - $20,000.

"It was the hardest round of golf I've ever played I think," said Jones, who owned a two-shot lead going into Sunday's final round over playing partners Andy Winings, the 2010 GCRO champ, and former PGA veteran Dave Rummells, along with two others.

"I just tried not getting ahead of myself," he said. "A lot of self talk out here, telling myself just the next shot, the next shot and not get ahead of myself.

"I did a really good job of that, I really did," said an emotional Jones , whose biggest win to date was a NGA/Hooters Tour Winter Series event that earned him $12,000 back in 2009. "I'm really proud of myself. Man it was hard, it was really, really hard for my mind not to go places it shouldn't. ..."

"I've won tournaments from behind and you always hear on TV how difficult it is," he continued. "It's hard to win leading going into the final round not protecting (the lead) and trying to get more birdies. It's hard," his voice cracking, before he deadpanned, "Am I an ugly crier?"

Jones, who has contended at the GCRO, finishing fourth and seventh, rose to every challenge, especially from the Brownsburg, Ind., duo of Seth Fair and Winings.

Fair was on fire and got to 14-under-par and was three shots down after 13, playing one group in front of Jones. But he couldn't keep it going and went even par the rest of the way. He shot a solid 67 and finished 14-under-par, good for second.

"I played well. I was comfortable from the start," said Fair, playing in his first GCRO and paired with two other Indiana buddies in the final round. "I think I only missed one green today and I missed one green yesterday and made some good putts. I know I would have had to play extremely well to catch the leader and I didn't think I was going to, but it's a solid week and I'm pretty happy with it."

Winings, after taking a triple-bogey 7 on the relatively-easy seventh hole, never gave up. He posted four straight birdies to begin the back nine on holes 10 through 13. Wowing the modest gallery following the last group, Jones matched every one of them, hole for hole. Winings then had two bogeys on the way in while Jones added one more birdie. Winings, who got a flyer on a 132-yard 9-iron on seven, hit it over the green into a hazard and the hole got worse from there. He finished in a four-way tie for fourth at 10-under 206. "I birdied 10 through 13 but unfortunately so did Garrett. Hat's off to him. He played awesome," said the classy Winings. "It was kind of one of those days. I hit a lot good shots and unfortunately a couple of them didn't turn out so good. For me it was a frustrating day. Unfortunately, golf is a cruel game."

It wasn't for Jones on this day.

"That was a lot of fun," said Jones of the birdie showdown with Winings. "... He did he make a run. What, we both made four in a row. That was a big point in the round for me. For what he did I matched it and that was just a big, big, big step for me, personally.

"It's just a different way to prove to myself that I can play this game once in a while. It was a big day for me. It was hard for me not to break down on a few of those last holes," continued Jones. "I think why I'm so emotional is that earlier this year, playing Hooters stuff, and I was missing every cut and it was hard, on the road, people supporting you and everything and just not making a paycheck week after week.

"And then since seeing a new coach in Madison (Wis.), I almost made it to U.S. Open this year, I won a small event in Wisconsin, I played well down in St. Louis in an event and now this.

"The climb from where I was four months ago is just so incredible and I think that's why it's so emotional. As down as I was four months ago, this is as high up as I've been professional so far.

"Money aside, to win like I did I feel really, really proud of myself."

Brent Long of Carthage, Tenn., shot a 5-under 67 and finished third at 13-under.

"I know how important the front nine is," Long said. "The front nine is so easy compared to that back nine and if you can shoot 4-5 under on the front, I knew I had a good chance of being in contention and maybe getting a 'W,' but I started off real slow and had a lot pars."

Long had only one birdie on the front side Sunday, but made straight after making the turn.

Winings, Rummells, Robby Ormand of Austin, Texas, and Carlos Sainz of Elgin, Ill., all tied for fourth at 10-under 206. Eric Steger of Noblesville, Ind., and Chase Wright of Bloomington, Ind., who had it to 12-under at one point, tied for ninth at 9-under.

Sainz fired a 6-under 66 Sunday and was second only to Jones for round of the day. Rummells was the Senior Division champ for the second time, but he never got it going Sunday in shooting an even-par 72, just like Winings.

"It's a little frustrating because you want to compete and want to win the regular division," said Rummells of his bittersweet Seniors win, "but the way Garrett was playing today I don't think it would have mattered much. He played so good."

Defending senior champ Greg Sweatt of Irmo, S.C., finished second in the seven-man division at 3-over 219, 13 shots behind Rummells.

Kevin Ault, competing for the first time here, won the Amateur Division but not without a little nail biting.

After two straight rounds of 2-under 70, Ault ballooned to an 80 Sunday and ended up in a tie with Ryan Schrimper of Marion. Both parred the first playoff hole, but Schrimper pulled his tee shot on the par-3 fourth, Ault two-putted from 50-feet and won the title.

More to come on the Seniors and Amateurs later this week. To see videos from Sunday's final round, visit our YouTube channel.

Don Wojciechowski resides in the Hunters Ridge Golf Course community and plays the course on a regular basis. He's a former sports editor for a suburban Chicago daily newspaper and an avid golf fan.

This entry was posted on July 30, 2012 at 12:41 AM and has received 1452 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Garrett Jones is somewhat familiar with combining good golf, the Greater Cedar Rapids Open and Hunters Ridge Golf Course and coming out with success.

On Sunday, the University of Wisconsin graduate hopes to enhance his formula.

Jones, who has tied for fourth and seventh in previous GCRO appearances, fired a 7-under-par 65 Saturday in near-perfect scoring conditions and takes a two-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the 54-hole tournament.

"I've played well here before," said Jones, of Rewey, Wis. "It will be fun tomorrow. I like my chances.

"I gave myself a lot of opportunities in the fairways, hit it on the green and I've been rolling it really well. It was just a solid day. "The conditions were perfect. If you hit good golf shots and hit the lines in the greens you will be rewarded," said Jones, who had eight birdies and a bogey.

"I always like coming down here," Jones explained, mentioning host family and the good cooking of Steve and Karen Siefert and son Elliott, who caddied for Jones.

"I feel relaxed. I feel my game has been on steady climb the last couple months."

Jones has plenty of company at the top going after the $20,000 first prize, including a lot of Hoosiers. Veteran Dave Rummells of Kissimmee,Fla., 2010 champ Andy Winings of Brownburg, Ind., first-year pro Chase Wright of Bloomington, Ind., and Eric Steger of Noblesville, Ind., all are two shots back at 10-under par 134. Seth Fair, also of Brownburg, is one shot further back. A total of 11 golfers are within five shots of the lead in what sets up to be a dandy finale to the 14th annual tourney.

Winings had one of the rounds of the day with an 8-under 64 that included nine birdies.

"Yesterday I played well and didn't make any putts at all," said Winings. "Today, I took care of the putter and made some putts. I made a lot of birdies and it was a lot of fun. The big thing tomorrow is just to make putts like I did today."

Wright and Fair both had 7-under 65s in the second round.

Wright, who graduated from Indiana University in May and then turned pro, birdied four of his first six holes.

"I just have to keep doing what I'm doing and not really think about anybody else or think about what anybody else is doing," said Wright "If I go out and play like I did today, I'm sure I'll have a pretty good chance come the last few holes tomorrow."

Fair was even par in his round through eight holes (he teed off on 10), was 2-under through 12 holes and then reeled off birdies on five of his last six holes. He carded a 6-under 30 on his second nine, Hunter's front side, and said he missed a "couple 6-footers" his last nine holes.

"I played well," said Fair, a former NCAA Division II PING All-American. "I'm happy I stayed patient and kind of let things happen to me. I'm pleased to be in the position I am in going into tomorrow."

The 54-year-old Rummells, a former Seniors Division champ at the GCRO, hasn't made a bogey in his first 36 holes.

"I played bogey-free golf for two days and I kept the ball in play and when I've had an occasional bad shot I've recovered," said Rummells, who followed his opening-round 66 with a solid 68. "That's the key to playing good golf. You have to recover after hitting bad shots."

That's something first-round leader Chris Thompson of Lawrence, Kan., couldn't overcome. Thompson, who shot a 65 Friday, started his Saturday round with two birdies on his first three holes, then hit one into the water on 13 (he teed off on 10) and ended up with triple bogey.

"I didn't play good today, it was struggle," said Thompson, who shot an even-par 72 and is five shots back. "I hit an awful shot on (13) into the water and I tried to play it and made a mess of the hole and made triple. Three birdies and a triple today and I get lapped."

Steger bogeyed his opening hole – the 10th – then proceeded to reel in seven birdies, including on four of his last five holes. He shot a 6-under 66 and is right in the mix.

Defending champ Brock Mulder, who shot a 7-over 79 Friday, showed his character Saturday, equaling Winings for round of the day at a 64. He was helped with a hole-in-one on the fourth hole after double-bogeying that same hole Friday.

First tee times for Sunday's final round begin at 7:30 a.m. with the final threesome of Jones, Winings and Rummells going off at 10:51.

To view video interviews with Jones, Rummells, Thompson and more following the second round of action, visit our YouTube channel.

Don Wojciechowski resides in the Hunters Ridge Golf Course community and plays the course on a regular basis. He's a former sports editor for a suburban Chicago daily newspaper and an avid golf fan.

This entry was posted on July 29, 2012 at 12:52 AM and has received 642 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Chris Thompson has always come into the Greater Cedar Rapids Open playing well. This year was a little different, with a nagging back problem forcing him out of his last two events.

But with some medical help earlier this week, Thompson's usual result when playing Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion was no different than past years.

The perennial contender fired a 7-under-par 65 in windy conditions and grabbed the first-round lead Friday in the 14th annual edition of the event.

"I'm really pleased with 65," said Thompson, who had seven birdies and no bogeys in his round. "I was pretty shaky the first six holes. I made 6-foot par putts on both (hole numbers) five and six to keep the round together. I started to play well from seven on, with a few hiccups sprinkled in. The putter was the key though. I was really efficient on and around the greens."

Thompson, 36, who finished tied for second in last year's weather-shortened 36-hole event and was tied for the lead two years ago heading into the final round, is one stroke up on West Branch native Dave Rummells.

Rummells, 54, battling putting problems all year until recently, fired a 5-under 31 on the Hunters Ridge front nine and settled for one more birdie along the way. Rummells used a putting video analysis program through the urging of a Florida friend and has found new life with the short stick – or in Rummells' case, the long stick.

"It's encouraging," said Rummells, a past senior champ at the GCRO who leads that division after Friday's round. "It (his bad putting) was starting to get into my sub-conscious."

Rummells, a PGA and Champions Tour veteran, always seems to play well in the GCRO.

"This is a good course for me," said Rummells, talking about competing against players half his age. "With the dry conditions, the rough, they can into trouble. That leads right into my hands.

"I have no business beating (2009 GCRO champ) Sean McCarty," said Rummells of one his Friday playing partners, who he beat by three shots. "But on a course like this it allows me to hang in there."

There is a four-way tie for thirds that includes last-minute entry Carlos Sainz of Elgin, Ill., Ryan Dillon of Phoenix, Ariz., who has had success on the National Professional Golf Tour, sponsored by Golfweek, Scott Foster, a 39-year-old assistant pro out of Anthem, Ariz., and Garrett Jones, of Rewey, Wis., who finished fourth in 2009 and seventh in 2008 at the GCRO.

"I was playing with (friend and GCRO competitor) Phil Arouca in a tournament back home and he told me he was playing in (the GCRO), so I called to see if there were any spots open and there were. I've been playing pretty well so I figured why not."

Foster, an assistant pro at Trilogy Golf Club at Vistancia in Peoria, Ariz., used Thursday's pro-am to learn about the course on his first trip to Hunters.

"We learned a lot yesterday and we hit it in the right spots today," said Foster, talking about himself and caddie Bill Howard, a Fort Madison native. "We birdied the holes we should and made pars on the ones we should. I also hit a few short putts to keep the momentum going so it was a good day."

Defending champ Brock Mulder, who shot a course record 11-under-par 61 in the opening round last year, had a completely different experience this year.

The Waterloo native missed birdie putts inside 6 feet on both of his first two holes, then whacked two out of bounds on Hunter's par-4 third hole, posted a nine, and then double-bogeyed the par-3 fourth hole enroute to a 79.

"I think I was a little shell-shocked," said Mulder after taking his nine. "We've still got one more day. We'll be back."

Three more golfers are at 4-under 68 and eight are tied at 69.

Ryan Blaum, who won $60,000 at the Waterloo Open a week ago, shot a solid 70.

"Those were windy, tough conditions," said Blaum, who wore flashy black and gold pants. "I think I certainly could have gone three to four better. I'm very much in it."

Second-round play is today with a cut following for Sunday's final round.

Don Wojciechowski resides in the Hunters Ridge Golf Course community and plays the course on a regular basis. He's a former sports editor for a suburban Chicago daily newspaper and an avid golf fan.

This entry was posted on July 28, 2012 at 12:53 AM and has received 631 views. There are currently 2 comments. Print this entry.

When Greater Cedar Rapids Open officials, golfers, fans and volunteers looked up last year, most of the time it unfortunately wasn't to look up at the scoreboard. They were looking to see if Mother Nature was done dumping rain, lightning, thunder and wind on Hunters Ridge Golf Course.

When the tournament finally ended, after four weather delays that curtailed the event to 36 holes for the first time in its history, Waterloo native Brock Mulder could smile in some sunshine. The Dallas resident closed with a solid 4-under-par round of 68 in front of family and friends and won the $20,000 winner's check with a 15-under-par 129. Mulder's course-record 61 in Friday's opening round catapulted to his first GCRO title and ended several years of frustration playing in the event. He then didn't play Saturday when a controversial decision to cut the 54-hole event to 36 was made because of the weather. Another two-hour rain delay Sunday validated the tough decision.

But this weekend's forecast looks great and Mulder is ready for another go at it, even if he'll have a bull's-eye on his back as defending champ.

"I'm very excited to be coming back to C.R. to play this year," said Mulder. "As far as pressure for this week, I have none. I'll play golf the way I know how and see where I sit at the end of the tourney. It's all about getting better each and every day and enjoying the process of doing this job."

Mulder, who has overcome some early-season back problems, didn't play as well as he would have liked last week at the Waterloo Open, but it was good to be home.

"Waterloo was a disappointment, but it's always fun for me to play in. My brother comes back from Chicago to caddy for me and we have a blast together," he said. "Waterloo is a tough tournament for me to play because anything short of winning is a failure in my eyes, but no one else in the field has the pressure I do to perform in front of family, friends, and people who support me. It's fun no matter what though."

Thompson back again

Chris Thompson finished in a tie for second last year, four shots behind Mulder, and certainly would have liked another 18 holes. A top contender for the title typically, this year will be more of a test for Thompson.

"I've been fortunate that I've been playing well leading up to the (GCRO) the past two years and have carried that momentum into the actual tournament," said Thompson, who was tied for the 36-hole lead in 2010.

"This year is a little different. I won an Adams (Golf Pro Tour) event in June, and then finished third the next week, so I was playing pretty well," he said. "Unfortunately, I aggravated the facet joints and a couple disks in my lower back and haven't played since."

Thompson had to withdraw from both the John Deere Classic qualifier as well as the Waterloo Open. He had a steroid shot Tuesday and plans to play.

Thompson, who turned 36 earlier this month, has played in 52 Nationwide/Web.com tour events and made 23 cuts, mostly in 2007 and 2008.

Ormand eyeing some more Web.com experience

Robby Ormand's year started out pretty good and in May got better when he won the Kandy Waters Classic on the NGA/Hooters Tour. He won $22,000 and two weeks later just missed another win in an Adams Pro Tour event. He shot 64 on the final day of the 72-hole event and lost a playoff. He missed a couple cuts on NGA events and things were not as good all of a sudden.

"This year has been fun. The start of the year brought a lot of solid play. ... The missed cuts were no fun, in a year where my play was solid throughout," said Ormand, from Austin, Texas. "I actually had a little heat exhaustion bout while playing down there and was just weird and goofy feeling for several weeks."

Ormand visited the doctor and had some blood work done "just to make sure there were no real issues."

"Thankfully things checked out pretty normal," he said. "Golf-wise my misses had been very small and my confidence was high and that's been something I'm working to regain since being out of competition."

Ormand played in the Waterloo Open and made the cut but finished nine shots back and from here will head to three Web.com qualifiers. He qualified for one Web.com (Nationwide) event earlier this year but failed to make the cut at the South Georgia Classic despite shooting a just 2-over-par.

"The experience I gained playing in Georgia earlier in the year was great," said Ormand. "While those are neat , my main focus is on getting back on track and seeing weekly improvements to prepare me for Tour school in the fall."

Waterloo Open winner Blaum finds some "relief"

NGA/Hooters Tour veteran Ryan Blaum came up big last week at the Waterloo Open, collecting the winner's check of $60,000 after winning a playoff on the third hole. The biggest payoff of his career gave Blaum reason to celebrate and offered something else almost everyone in the GCRO field is playing for this week – more time to compete in professional golf.

"I felt two things," said Blaum, a three-time All-America selection of varying degrees at Duke. "One, I'm really happy that my hard work is paying off, knowing that I'm on the right track. Two, financial relief, although always momentary."

He isn't the first mini-tour player to say that. Just ask last year's GCRO champ Brock Mulder.

Blaum has overcome a long bout with mononucleosis and then a herniated disc in his neck – which he thinks came from sitting in bed so long – but he showed last week he's ready to go full bore.

"Now I feel as close to 100 percent as I ever have since being cleared of the virus," said Blaum, whose rookie pro brother Brent is also playing in the GCRO.

" I had an epidural procedure and a few months of therapy, then started back in April, which might have been a little early, but the itch to get back playing was too great. So far, I'm very pleased with the progress I've made. It's been constant improvement as I've kept playing."

Blaum says winning at Waterloo won't distract his play here.

"There will not be any incentive issues this week," said Blaum. The tournament runs through Sunday and there will be a cut made after Saturday's second round. Admission is free.

Don Wojciechowski resides in the Hunters Ridge Golf Course community and plays the course on a regular basis. He's a former sports editor for a suburban Chicago daily newspaper and an avid golf fan.

This entry was posted on July 26, 2012 at 11:22 PM and has received 463 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Two weeks at the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, three former champs of the GCRO were in the field. Two of them were in contention for the title most of the way and one of them went on to win it. Cedar Rapids' own Zach Johnson emerged the winner and on his way to the title told a local sportswriter that the GCRO was a "mini-tour major."

We'll take that moniker.

But a young gentleman from Illinois who will tee it up Friday at Hunters Ridge in the 14th edition of the GCRO has already played in two "major" majors. And he made the cut in one.

Brad Benjamin of Rockford has already played in the Masters and the U.S. Open. He earned an invitation to the 2010 Masters as a 23-year-old after by winning the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links championship.

The Conference USA Scholar Athlete of the Year in both 2008 and 2009 for the University of Memphis, Benjamin beat Nick Taylor of Canada 7 and 6 in the 36-hole final of the Public Links in Norman, Okla. A total of 3,342 golfers entered the Public Links in 2009.

At Augusta National in the Masters, Benjamin shot a 1-over-par 73 and a second-round 5-over 77. The amateur missed the cut, but his 6-over total was still better than a few notables like Rory McIlroy, David Duval, Louie Oosthuizen, Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk, to name a few.

Benjamin advanced through Sectional qualifying to earn a spot in the 2011 U.S Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. The lefty, who attended Rockford Guilford High School, was pretty impressive in his first two rounds, firing a 1-over-par 72 and a 2-over 73 to make the cut, one of only three amateurs to do so. While McIlroy tore apart Congressional on his way to a historic win, Benjamin got to play the weekend too. He ended up posting rounds of 80-80 and finished 72nd, but some notables who missed the cut that year included Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose, Ernie Els and Adam Scott.

Benjamin also has the 2009 Illinois Open title on his resume, winning that as an amateur. Last year he made it to the final stage of PGA qualifying school.

While some competitors at the GCRO dislike the PGA's move to end qualifying school as it is right now, Benjamin is not opposed to it. "Read more."

Don Wojciechowski resides in the Hunters Ridge Golf Course community and plays the course on a regular basis. He's a former sports editor for a suburban Chicago daily newspaper and an avid golf fan.

This entry was posted on July 26, 2012 at 3:52 PM and has received 507 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

The field for the 2012 Greater Cedar Rapids Open took a major step over the last few days when the latest entries were confirmed. A total of four former champions, led by defending champ Brock Mulder, will be on hand to battle for the $20,000 first-place prize in the 14th annual edition of the tournament, which begins Friday and runs through Sunday at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion.

Mulder, the Waterloo native who now resides in Dallas, will be joined by 2010 winner Andy Winings, 2009 winner Sean McCarty, who is the head pro at Brown Deer Golf Course in Coralville, and 2007 champ Jason Beach of Los Alamitos, Calif. Those four alone have a few Top 10s between them at the GCRO as well.

When you treat them right the golfers come back. Eight of the top 11 finishers in last year's GCRO will return. Entries in the last several days included Chris Thompson of Lawrence, Kan., and Tom Bliefnick of Decatur, Ill. That pair tied for second last year in the rain-shortened 36-hole tournament, four strokes in back of Mulder, who shot a 15-under-par 129.

Thompson, who was tied for the 36-hole lead in the 2010 GCRO before faltering on Day 3, has three Top 20 finishes in four starts in the E-Golf Professional Golf Tour this year and has cashed over $8,600. In two starts on the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series, Thompson has two starts with one win and a third-place finish. His total winnings of $13,700 ranks him 11th on that Tour's current money list though most golfers have played between seven and 11 events.

Bliefnick, an Illinois State University product, finished second last year just two months after turning pro. He just tied for 20th in the Illinois Open. He struggled a little this past weekend in the Waterloo Open and did not make the cut.

Also back for another try at the crown is Connor McHenry of Jefferson City, Mo., who tied for fifth at 7-under par 137 last year. Marion's Bill Hoefle, defending Senior Division champ Greg Sweatt of Irmo, S.C., Eric Cole of Orlando, Fla. and Patrick Duffy of Appleton, Wis., were among those tied for seventh and all return to the $77,000 tournament.

Also back is 2011 Illinois Open champ Philip Arouca of Wilmette, Ill. Arouca went from finishing in a tie for 17th at the GCRO right to the 54-hole Illinois Open the next day. He finished in a tie for sixth in defending his title last week.

The GCRO also boasts three of the Top 10 money-winners on the National Professional Golf Tour, which is sponsored by Golfweek. That tour has taken off since starting up in 2009 with the current money leader boasting over $67,000 in winnings.

Rhein Gibson, a transplanted Australian who has lived in Edmond, Okla., for nine years trying to hone his game, ranks fifth on the NPTF money list with $51,827. He won the Brickyard Open in Indianapolis earlier this month, cashing a check for $21,000. A week later he finished second in the Player Invitational at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu, Hawaii. The 26-year-old has four top 10 finishes on that tour and has made 11 of 12 cuts.

He also holds the provisional "world record" for a round of golf with a 55, shot in May. Just search the web and you'll find several articles.

Matt Miller of Bloomington, Ill., who tied for fourth at Waterloo, ranks eighth on the NPTF money list with just over $45,500 in winnings. He won the Firekeeper Tradition and $20,000 in May in Mayetta, Kan., and has four Top 10 finishes in 12 starts. Miller tied for 11th in the Illinois Open after finsihing third a year ago.

Greg O'Mahony, who has played in the last two GCROs, finishing second to Winings in 2010, ranks 10th on the money list with just over $42,000. O'Mahony, who we would call a friend of the GCRO, won the Southern California Classic in March and cashed $22,000. He also has four Top 10 finishes, placing third in the Great Lakes Open last month, and has made the cut in seven of 11 events.

Others on the NPTF that will tee it up at Hunters Ridge include Ryan Dillon of Phoenix, Ariz., who ranks 19th on the money list, James Vargas of Miami, Fla., who is 22nd, Brent Long of Carthage, Tenn., is 25th, Jonathon Krick of Peoria Heights, Ill., is at 46th, Bliefnick checks in at No. 56 and Rodney Hamblin is at No. 61.

The Brickyard tournament was one-stop shopping for Justin Hueber of Ft. Wayne, Ind., Winings and Chase Wright of Bloomington, Ind. All three entered that one NPTF event. Hueber finished third at the Brickyard and picked up $9,000, Winings was fourth and Wright and O'Mahony tied for sixth.

Add to all those Robby Ormand from Austin, Texas, who earlier this year won the $22,000 first-place prize in the Kandy Waters Classic on the NGA/Hooters Tour.

And, Ryan Blaum winning the Waterloo Open didn't hurt the GCRO field either. I'm thinking it should be quite a shootout.

Don Wojciechowski resides in the Hunters Ridge Golf Course community and plays the course on a regular basis. He's a former sports editor for a suburban Chicago daily newspaper and an avid golf fan.

This entry was posted on July 24, 2012 at 12:29 AM and has received 707 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Only one golfer in the last 13 years has ever won the prestigious Waterloo Open and then followed that up with a win in the Greater Cedar Rapids Open the following week. That golfer is playing on the PGA Tour right now. Derek Lamely, a two-time GCRO champion, won the 2008 Waterloo Open and then headed down to Marion to complete the sweep.

Ryan Blaum gets his chance this week. The former three-time All-America selection from Duke and NGA/Hooters Tour veteran slipped in a 10-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole Sunday to win the 79th Annual Waterloo Open, sponsored by the Waterloo Jaycees.

Blaum, who has four victories on the National Golf Association Tour since joining it in 2007, earned $60,000 for his Waterloo win. That figure represents one of the largest winning payouts if not the largest for any "mini-tour" event in the country. Only payouts on the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour surpass that.

Blaum, from Coral Gables, Fla., who will play with rookie pro brother Brent at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion beginning Friday, and Trevor Murphy were tied on top in the 36-hole Waterloo event at 14-under-par 130. Blaum shot a 66 in Saturday's first round and followed that up with a 64 Sunday. After both golfers parred the first two playoff holes at Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course, Blaum rolled in his birdie putt for the win. Blaum, 27, who qualified but missed the cut at the Web.com's Stadion Classic in Georgia earlier this year, has won more than $10,000 on the NGA/Hooters Tour this year and over $235,000 on that tour since he turned pro.

A total of 16 of the top 31 finishers at Waterloo are headed to the GCRO as of late Sunday. Matt Miller of Bloomington, Ill. tied for fourth with a 133 and 2010 GCRO champ Andy Winings, of Brownsburg, Ind., and Bryan Newman of La Quinta, Calif., tied for sixth, four shots from the top spot. One stroke further back was former Indiana University star Chase Wright, Justin Hueber of Ft. Wayne, Ind., Jon Mansfield of Clearwater, Fla., and former PING Division II All-America selection Seth Fair, also of Brownburg, Ind.

At 8-under-par 136 and in a tie for 22nd were local GCRO favorites Sean McCarty and Bill Hoefle along with Nate Stevenson of Orlando, Fla., and Derek Bohlen of Fountain Hills, Ariz.

GCRO festivities start Wednesday with the first of two pro-ams. Wednesday night is the Pro-Am Dinner and Thursday is the second pro-am. Tournament play begins Friday.

As of late Sunday there were 94 professionals, eight Senior pros and 20 amateurs entered.

Don Wojciechowski resides in the Hunters Ridge Golf Course community and plays the course on a regular basis. He's a former sports editor for a suburban Chicago daily newspaper and an avid golf fan.

This entry was posted on July 22, 2012 at 11:48 PM and has received 400 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

These are some links for young caddies. If you have caddied before, it won't hurt to review. For those caddying for the first time, please take some time to look at the links.

At the GCRO Caddie Training Wednesday, July 18, at Hunters Ridge, we will go over everything that is expected of you for our tournament. Time of the caddie training is 5 p.m. Good luck, have fun and make some money.

Caddie link 1

Caddie link 2

Caddie link 3

This entry was posted on July 15, 2012 at 10:45 PM and has received 311 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

While none of the seven golfers with GCRO ties made it out of Monday's Open qualifier for this week's John Deere Classic, there are still players competing with strings attached to Hunters Ridge Golf Course.

Led by 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson, three former winners of the GCRO will compete beginning Thursday, July 12 at the TPC Deere Run in the John Deere Classic at Silvis, Ill.

Along with Johnson, who won the GCRO in 2001, will be two-time champ Derek Lamely, who won in 2005 and 2008, and Englishman Gary Christian, who won the 2004 title.

Johnson tees off at 7:30 a.m. off the 10th tee Thursday and Lamely is two groups behind at 7:50. Christian opens first-round play at 2:50 p.m. off the first tee.

Lamely, by the way, has stayed good friend with Hunters Ridge residents Gregg and Carol Klocke. Lamely stayed with the Klockes when playing in the GCRO. In fact, Carol texted Lamely Monday night while sitting in the Hunters Ridge clubhouse and got an immediate response.

In Monday's Open qualifier for the JDC, four golfers advanced out of a field of 79. Brown Deer Golf Course head pro Sean McCarty posted the best round of the seven golfers with some GCRO background, shooting a 3-under-par 68 at Pinnacle Country Club in Milan, Ill. Two golfers at 6-under 65 tied for the last two qualifying spots and 8-under won the tournament. McCarty, the 2009 GCRO champ, tied for 17th. He was looking for his fifth appearance in the JDC.

Patrick Duffy of Appleton, Wis., shot a 2-under 69 in the qualifier and tied for 23rd. Duffy tied for seventh in last year's rain-shortened GCRO.

Asian Tour player Jason Knutzon of Altoona, Iowa, tied for 33rd with 1-under. Knutzon finished second to Christian in a playoff for the 2004 GCRO. NGA Tour player Ryan Blaum tied for 38th at even par and 2011 GCRO champ Brock Mulder tied for 45th along with Jonathan Feldick of Coralville at 1-over. Jon Mansfield of Clearwater, Fla., tied for 55th.

All but Knutzon are scheduled to compete in this year's GCRO, to be held July 27-29 at Hunters Ridge.

For more information on the JDC go to their website.

Top Iowa club pro Bermel in U.S. Senior Open

John Bermel, who is entered in both the Open and Senior divisions for this year's GCRO, has a little more important work ahead of him first.

Among the top teaching pros in Iowa who turned 50 Sunday, Bermel will tee it up Thursday, July 12 in the opening round of the U.S. Senior Open at Indianwood Golf and Country Club in Lake Orion, Mich. The tournament runs through July 15.

The head pro at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Cedar Falls and the men's and women's golf coach at the University of Northern Iowa for the past 18 years, Bermel was named "Best Teacher" of golf in the state of Iowa by Golf Digest in 2009.

Bermel, who was born in Iowa City but calls Cedar Falls home now, advanced through Sectional play by surviving a three-man playoff for the final qualifying spot. Bermel is also scheduled to play in the Waterloo Open, July 21-22. Read more about Bermel by using the following links. U.S. Senior Open Player Bios

Iowa PGA article

Don Wojciechowski resides in the Hunters Ridge Golf Course community and plays the course on a regular basis. He's a former sports editor for a suburban Chicago daily newspaper and an avid golf fan.

This entry was posted on July 11, 2012 at 11:48 PM and has received 335 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.