2012 GCRO champ sets sights on Tour

 MARION - Garrett Jones knows what kind of competition he's dealing with. This weekend's Greater Cedar Rapids Open golf tournament features three past event champions, and he's one of them.

“There's a hell of a lot of good players in this tournament,” he said. “There are former PGA Tour players, and I guarantee there are future PGA Tour players.”

He's hoping a second straight championship might propel him into the latter group. Jones set a tournament record of 19-under par last year and took home $20,000.

“I learned a lot about myself,” Jones said. “I went into the final round with a two-stroke lead. It can be easy to try too hard to protect a lead when you have it. But that final round I was very mentally sharp.”

“The competition tried to catch him, and he just kept playing really well,” tournament co-founder Jim McPartland said. “He kept going away and away.”

Jones played the next day in a PGA Tour qualifying tournament and fell one stroke short of advancing to the second stage. The former University of Wisconsin golfer hopes to break onto the Tour soon.

“That's what I want to do. I can't imagine doing anything else,” he said.

“I want to play competitive golf, and the PGA Tour is where it's the most competitive. I'm 28, (and) I'd have liked to see that happen by now.

“But tournaments like this, it can only help. The biggest thing is just winning. Winning breeds confidence, and that breeds more winning.”

Previous champions Sean McCarty (2009) and Andy Winings (2010) are in a crowded field that includes 2012 Waterloo Open winner Ryan Blaum and 7 of the top 10 from this year's Waterloo Open.

“When I won, the best part was to know I beat such a quality field,” Jones said.

The tournament starts Friday with tee times beginning at 7 a.m.