EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday or Friday throughout the calendar year.

By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal, Fennimore Times, Boscobel Dial

Garrett Jones, Madison, 2003 Iowa–Grant graduate, golf

WAUKESHA —  Rewey native Garrett Jones accomplished a life-long goal last week we he won the 123 Wisconsin State Golf Association State Amateur last week at Legend at Merrill Hills in Waukesha.

Jones, 39, who now resides in Madison, beat the field of 78 State Am qualifiers that made the cut (and 156 overall) with a final four-round score of 284 (E), one stroke better than Joe DuChateau (285, +1) from Fond du Lac and two better than Ross Thomson (286, +2) of Madison.

Jones, who is a 2003 graduate of Iowa–Grant High School and a former Division 1 college golfer at Wisconsin, had rounds of 71–71–69–73 to claim his first State Amateur title after finishing second in 2004 at a 19-year-old.

“I always wanted my name on their (WSGA) premier trophy — the State Am,” Jones told Wisconsin.golf. “I’ve come close before and haven’t done it.”

Jones trailed by five strokes after the first round and recovered to finish the second round in a three-way tie for the lead. 

In last Sunday’s final round, he used back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th holes to create a little separation from the field.

As it turns out, that separation was needed as a double bogey six on the 72nd and final hole was good enough to secure the championship by one stroke.

With the victory, Jones earned and automatic bid into the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship,  which will be held Aug. 12–18 at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minn. He missed the deadline to sign up for first-stage qualifying, so the only way he could play in the U.S. Am was to win the State Amateur.

“This was my last avenue to get there,” Jones said. “The stars kind of line up once in a while, I guess.”

He qualified for one previous U.S. Amateur, back in 2006, when it also was held at Hazeltine.

“I’m really looking forward to it because some of my wife’s family is from Minneapolis,” he said. “My wife’s cousin is the caddie master at Hazeltine so he’s going to be on my bag for the U.S. Am.”

Three other area golfers played in this year's WSGA State Amateur. Carter Ruegsegger from Blanchardville finished in a four-way tie for 29th after shooting a 16-over-par 300 (74–80–68–78).

Mitch Bowers and Corey Sokol of Mineral Point also qualified for the State Am, but missed the cut. Bowers had a two-day total of 163 (84–79), while Sokol carded a 172 (82–90).