Dawson Jones graduated from Rhode Island University back in 2019 and quit playing golf for a couple years. After Saturday, you can be pretty sure he’s certainly happy he’s back playing again.
Jones shot a solid 3-under-par 69 at Hunters Ridge in Marion and held off all comers to win the 2023 TrueNorth Greater Cedar Rapids Open, presented by UFG Insurance. It was Jones’ first win as a professional and it put a $30,000 check in his wallet.
Jones (North Palm Beach, FL) finished 17 under par for the 54-hole tournament and was three better than runner-up Tripp Kinney (Des Moines), who shot a 6-under 66 Saturday and earned $12,000. Carson Schaake (Omaha) shot the day’s best round with an 8-under 64 and tied for third along with Brian Dwyer (Southlake, TX). Carson’s brother Alex Schaake, the first-round leader, stumbled to a 1-over 73, and tied for fifth with Evan Brown at 11-under 205. Brown was coming off a $50,000 win at the Waterloo Open last week.
“It’s awesome. It’s a great feeling,” said Jones. “I just turned professional back in December and I haven’t had any wins so this is the first one and it’s a special one. “It’s definitely exciting. I had some wins as an amateur, so I do know what the feeling is, but this being professional, this is more exciting.”
Jones had a two-shot lead over playing partners Alex Schaake and Dwyer to start the third and final round. Dwyer birdied the first hole and both Dwyer and Jones birdied the second. Jones also birdied four and was never less than two ahead after that.
“I think I did a good job.” said Jones of the way he answered the pressure. “I had never been in this position as a professional and I think I handled it really well.”
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(Photo courtesy Jill Wojciechowski/JKW Photography, LLC)