Seth Fair repeats at Hunters Ridge for Greater Cedar Rapids Open title

MARION — After shooting a second-round 62 on Friday, it appeared the 22nd TrueNorth Greater Cedar Rapids Open at Hunters Ridge was Sam Cyr’s tournament to lose.

After all, he held a five-stroke lead and had finished third in the most recent GCRO held in 2019.

Unfortunately, the 35-year-old Hawaii native has been limited in rounds recently as he’s battled back from a hand injury that required surgery.

“I honestly don’t know what the future holds with my hand,” Cyr said. “I just can’t play that many weeks in a row and it’s hard to get on a run. My game’s just a little rusty in areas I’d prefer it not to be.”

Meanwhile, Indiana native Seth Fair has been playing so many weeks in a row that he lost track trying to remember his last months’ worth of golf.

“I’ve been traveling a lot lately so it’s been a lot of show up, go to the course and try to stay out of my own way,” Fair said.

Fortunately for Fair, his surroundings looked familiar.

“(Hunters Ridge) feels a lot like the courses I play in Indiana,” Fair said. “I’m just comfortable on this golf course.”

In 2016, Fair stayed with his same host, Deb Joyner, and trailed by four strokes going into the final round.

Saturday Fair entered the final round trailing by five strokes.

Both times, Fair was able to chip away at the lead to capture the crown.

“The scores are usually pretty low out here, at least the first few days,” Fair said. “Sometimes they level off and that’s what I was hoping for down five coming into today.”

Cyr and Fair approached the tee on 15 tied for the lead at 13-under-par.

Fair was able to record the first of three consecutive birdies against three pars for Cyr, giving the former champion a three-stroke lead headed to 18.

“It feels great,” said Fair after collecting the crystal trophy and a check for $30,000. “I’ve been close the last few weeks, so it feels nice to finish one off.”

Before he hit the clubhouse, Fair was already texting his wife of six years, Brooke.

“It’s literally everything,” Fair said of his hearty payday. “When you can capitalize on a tournament like this, it just sets you up so much better for being able to do things like Monday qualifiers where it costs you $600-700 to play 18 holes. That adds up quickly if you do a dozen of them. This is huge for me.”

While success sometimes means golfers won’t return to the GCRO, Deb Joyner is likely to have a lifelong friend in Seth Fair.

“I may not even tell her I’m coming (next year), I may just show up,” said Fair regarding a return in 2022. “I know the address, the keypad code. I know where everything is.”

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