Amateur golfer turned accountant turned pro Dawson Jones captures Greater Cedar Rapids Open title

MARION – Dawson Jones isn’t a stranger to winning.

The New Jersey native and former University of Rhode Island golfer has been successful at the amateur level in the past.

After a two-year hiatus from golf and a decision to play professionally in December, Jones captured that elusive professional title. The victory hits in a way the past ones didn’t.

“This is my first one, so this is a special one,” Jones said about his title at the Greater Cedar Rapids Open on Saturday at Hunters Ridge Golf Course. “I know what the feeling is but doing it on a professional level is a lot different. It’s more exciting.”

Jones fired a 3-under 69 in the final round, opening with consecutive rounds of 65 for a three-day total of 199. He topped former Waukee prep Tripp Kinney by three strokes.

Jones entered the tournament with just $5,921 in earnings and walked away with a prize of $30,000 in addition to his first professional win.

“It’s awesome,” Jones said. “It’s a great feeling.”

Interestingly, the 25-year-old stepped away from golf to work in public accounting. The game called him back at the end of last year. He left his job in October and began to prepare for his return to the links a month later.

“We kept grinding and we kept to the practice regimen,” said Charlie Kromann, Jones’ personal caddie and a former 15-year pro. “He’s won in the past. He won big events as an amateur and proved he can do it over four days. His consistency is remarkable.”

Jones had to balance his lofty aspirations with realistic results. He estimated he has played in 30 events overall (pro tour events, two-day events, Monday qualifiers, etc.) and it took him more than seven months for this break. Any doubt of whether it was the right move was quickly extinguished by his determination to be a pro golfer.

“I have been patient with it, but there have been a couple times where my expectations were too high, especially going into those Monday qualifiers,” Jones said. “You just have to suck it up and move on. It’s not always going to work out.”

Jones had never been to Iowa and decided to make a two-week trip when his schedule was able to accommodate the Waterloo Open and GCRO. He failed to make the cut last week but put everything together to cash out at Hunters.

“He showed his fortitude,” Kromann said. “That’s what we were waiting for.”

Jones posted three birdies, carding a 33 at the turn. He played par golf the rest of the way, sticking his approach on No. 18 short of the hole and two-putting for par. Jones was able to maintain a good driver, but hitting greens in regulation and routinely sinking 20-foot putts were key for a conservative approach, especially the par-5 holes..

“There wedges were solid,” Jones said. “I had 100 to 120 yards – the money-making yardages – I was able to get it close and do what I needed to do.”

The surface matters, too, and the Hunters terrain was familiar to Jones. Grass varies from region to region and he pointed out that the courses resembled those that he played at home. He was eager for a northern trip after playing much of his previous pro schedule in Florida.

“I like playing off the bent grass,” Jones said. “That’s a big thing for me because I’ve played off bent grass my whole life. Florida Bermuda is great. It’s not my specialty.”

Jones is set to return to New Jersey for his next couple events. If he can harness the mental approach he had at the GCRO, he expects to win more frequently. The hope is this title catapults him up the ranks and into higher levels.

“I’ve never been in this position as a professional,” Jones said. “I think I handled it well. I just stayed calm, slowed my breathing, I didn’t speed up (and) I kept my routine the same. I think that’s going to help me a lot going forward.”

The GCRO was created in 1999 and continues to attract talented minor-league level talent, including many young golfers poised to make a name for themselves in the future. The tournament consisted of 97 competitors from across the country with 35 receiving part of the $93,718 in total allocated winnings.

“There was some wonderful golf,” GCRO co-founder Jim McPartland said during a brief ceremony. “The players showed up and played great.”