Two local favorites, two other former champions and a couple handfuls of young guns looking to cash a check head the field this week for the 16th annual Greater Cedar Rapids Open (GCRO).
Long-hitting Sean McCarty, the head golf professional at Brown Deer Golf Course in Coralville, and Linn-Mar High School golf coach Bill Hoefle will add a distinct local flavor to the 54-hole tournament, which begins Thursday and continues through Saturday at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion.
Both McCarty, one of three former champions in the field, and Hoefle, were in contention for the $20,000 winner’s check last year. McCarty, who won the GCRO in 2009, ended up finishing fourth in 2013 after making a terrific front-nine run in the final round. That was his second top-10 finish at the tournament in the last six years. He finished in a tie for 16th in 2012.
Hoefle, who was the first-round leader at last weekend’s Waterloo Open, when he opened with a dazzling 9-under 63, also led the GCRO after one round last year. He went on to finish in a tie for fifth at 6-under par, one stroke behind McCarty. It was Hoefle’s third top-10 finish at the GCRO. He finished in a tie for 20th in Waterloo, shooting 2-under in the two weekend rounds.
Two other former champs were late entries. Andy Winings of Brownsburg, Indiana, who won the 2010 title, is a perennial contender and has to be considered among the favorites going into this week. Winings, who has bounced in and out of the Web.com Tour in recent years, has three top-5 finishes at Hunters Ridge including his title year. Winings finished in a tie for 15th last year, his worst showing at the GCRO. He finished fourth in 2012 after having a great mid-final-round duel with eventual winner Garrett Jones before falling off the pace. He tied for second, two shots behind McCarty in 2009. He was 12th in 2011. He currently ranks seventh in money winnings on the NGA Pro Golf Tour.
Jones, from Rewey, Wisconsin, also is a late entry. After what he had hoped would be a breakout career win in 2012, Jones has struggled somewhat. He missed the cut here last year for the first time. Prior to that, the University of Wisconsin grad was always right in the mix at the GCRO, finishing tied for seventh in 2008 and earning a share of fourth place in 2009.
Of the top 23 players at Waterloo last weekend, at least nine are headed to Marion and the GCRO. Runner-up Jeffery Kellen of Rockford, Illinois, leads the way. Kellen lost on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to Donald Constable of Excelsior, Minnesota, just missing out on the $55,000 first-place prize. Kellen and Constable had tied after 54 holes at 16-under-par. Nate Barbee of Clive, Iowa, who finished one stroke out of the playoff in Waterloo, will also tee it up Thursday in the GCRO. Barbee tied for 10th last year at Hunters Ridge.
Other top finishers at Waterloo who are making the trip south on I-380 include Cameron Simmons (Acworth, Georgia) and Jonathan Moore (Stillwater, Oklahoma), who both finished three shots out of the playoff. Seann Harlingten and David Rose, both of West Vancouver, B.C., along with just graduated University of Iowa star Steven Ihm (Peosta, Iowa) all finished four shots back. All are scheduled to play this week. Harlingten has played three events on the PGA Canada Tour this year.
Tying Hoefle at 11 under par in Waterloo were Tyler Merkel (Evansville, Indiana) and Brandon Crick (McCook, Nebraska). Both are scheduled to compete this week.
Two former runners-up in the GCRO will also return. Greg O’Mahony (Tequesta, Florida), who was second to Winings by one shot back in 2010, tied for 11th last year. Also, Tommy Bliefnick (Decatur, Illinois), who tied for second during the weather-shortened 2011 event, will give it another go.
Among others, Tyson Alexander of Gainesville, Florida, is entered. He is fifth on the NGA money rankings with just over $27,000. He won an NGA event in Florida in April.
The GCRO, established in 1999, provides a showcase for aspiring professional golfers from around the world while also benefiting area non-profit organizations. The last two years the GCRO has made significant contributions to the University of Iowa Foundation for the benefit of melanoma research at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center as well as several area youth groups and organizations.
Admission to the tournament is free.
For more information about the GCRO, visit www.gcropen.com or contact Jim McPartland at 319.310.5745.