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Greater Cedar Rapids Open ready for the heat, unknown
The 24th professional tournament has a lot of young talent, but no clear favorite
Jul. 26, 2023 2:32 pm
MARION — The field is down and the heat is up.
But Mike Murdock thinks this could be a pretty special Greater Cedar Rapids Open golf tournament.
“It’s kind of a good, young group of guys playing,” said Murdock, who has helped run the annual professional tournament at Hunters Ridge Golf Course with co-founder Jim McPartland the past five years.
Sean McCarty of Solon is the only past champion in the field and he won that title in 2009. The rest of the field includes 99 pros and amateurs from Cuba and Jupiter — Missouri and Florida, that is — as well as Homer Glen, Ill., Chadd Fords, Pa. and Alpharetta, Ga. — to name a few.
The pro field, usually at a 156-player limit, includes Iowans Tracy Vest of Iowa City, Sterling McIlravy of Solon, Charles Jahn of Sperry, Wes Buntenbach of Clarion, Dylan Ellis of Parkersburg and Ricky Costello and Tripp Kinney of Des Moines.
The three-day tournament starts Thursday and ends Saturday.
“There are so many different levels and tours,” Murdock said of the low numbers, specifically mentioning a Korn Ferry tournament in Glenview, Ill., this weekend.
There also are six amateurs in the field, including Reid Hall of Cedar Rapids, Andrew Wood of Marion and Aman Egge of Martelle.
He hesitated to name a few golfers to keep an eye on.
“We’ve got some guys who are capable of playing very well,” Murdock said, adding one of the pros shot 10-under during a pro-am round and another went 9-under. “All are very capable.”
He likened this year’s field to the current state of the PGA, where young “no-name” players are contending and even winning tournaments.
“There’s so many good young players out there,” he said. “What it’s going to come down to is who’s got the hot putter.”
Because of predicted high temperatures this weekend, tournament officials are letting players wear shorts all three rounds for the first time. There also will be six water stations on the course, as well as three marshals and several volunteers keeping an eye on the golfers.
Murdock said today’s golfers are young and fit, but “you have to be concerned anytime you’re dealing with this kind of heat.”
Comments: (319) 398-5861; jr.ogden@thegazette.com
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