Brock Mulder, who set the Hunters Ridge Golf Course competitive record last year on his way to the championship of the 2011 Greater Cedar Rapids Open, will be back to defend his title this year.
The former Waterloo West star shot an 11-under-par 61 during last year’s first round en route to the GCRO win and the $20,000 first-place check. His two-round, 36-hole total of 15-under 129 was good enough for a four-shot victory over Chris Thompson of Lawrence, Kan., and first-month pro Tom Bliefnick of Decatur, Ill.
Mulder wouldn’t agree, but it was an unlucky 13th edition of tournament as rain and thunderstorms turned Hunters Ridge into a swamp at places and forced organizers to cut the 54-hole event to 36 for the first time in its history. The weather stopped or cancelled play four times over the three-day period.
The field for the $77,000 tournament, to be held July 27-29 at Hunters Ridge, is beginning to take shape.
Greg O’Mahony (Tequestra, Fla.), who finished second by one stroke to Andy Winings in 2010, will be back, trying to improve on last year’s 26th-place finish. Connor McHenry (Jefferson City, Mo.) will also return after tying for fifth last year. Also, Joey Lamielle (Sarasota, Fla.), who finished 12th last year, is among the early entrants.
Other notables include Robby Ormand, 25, of Austin, Texas. He will be competing in the GCRO for the first time and last month won the Kandy Waters Memorial in North Augusta, S.C. on the NGA (National Golf Association) Tour. He pocketed $22,000 for that win in the 72-hole tournament that he won on the third playoff hole. It was his first NGA win. Read more here.
Brent Blaum of Coral Gables, Fla., is also competing on the NGA Tour and former Wartburg College golfer Michel Dominick will compete. Seth Fair, a 2010 PING Division II All-American at the University of Indianapolis, ranks 43rd on the NGA money list with $13,437. Get this, Fair is from the same hometown – Brownsburg, Ind., – as 2010 GCRO winner Winings.
The GCRO, established in 1999, provides a showcase for aspiring professional golfers from around the world while also benefiting area non-profit organizations. This year the GCRO is also helping raise awareness for the deadly skin cancer melanoma, with some proceeds benefitting the University of Iowa Foundation for the benefit of melanoma research at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.
According to Jim McPartland, tournament co-founder, the GCRO has helped open the door for several professional golfers, including 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson (2001 GCRO Champion), 2010 Puerto Rico Open Champion Derek Lamely (2005, 2008 GCRO Champion), and 2012 Puerto Rico Open Champion George McNeill. However, the event would not be possible without the hospitality and cooperation of the community.
“Like most not-for-profit organizations and events, we simply can’t operate without volunteers,” said McPartland. “We rely very heavily on people in the Cedar Rapids / Iowa City Corridor and surrounding areas to work more than 200 shifts during our tournament. It’s a great opportunity to see some outstanding golf, while also giving back to the community.”
For information about the tournament, visit www.gcropen.com or call Co-Founder Jim McPartland at 319-310-5745. If you would like to volunteer at this year’s tournament, call Melissa Ewing, volunteer chair, at 563.209.2694 or melissa-ewing@live.com. Emails also can be sent to gcropen@gmail.com.
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.