Badall Leads After First Round of Jackson Masters Golf Tournament

Joey Badall tees off on No. 1 at The Grande Golf Club on Saturday during the first round of the Jackson Masters Golf Tournament. He shot a 2-under-par 70 to lead.  Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports.

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

In a case of different courses for different horses, Joey Badall leads the Jackson Masters Golf Tournament after one round.

Badall shot a 2-under-par 70 at The Grande Golf Club on Saturday in the 36-hole medal play tournament.

He does not play in a number of the local major tournaments, but finished 11th at the Jackson Masters two years ago – also played at The Grande.

Riley Hestwood – winner of the Spring Thaw Golf Tournament earlier in the season – is second with a 1-under-par 71 on Saturday.

Dave Page is third with a 73 and Mark Kurzynowski, Tim Pickering, and Pete Walz are tied for fourth with 74s.

Six golfers – Scott Denig, Nathan LaZebnik, Bret Valkuchak, Justin Bunch, Cody Lysher and Cannon Risner – are tied for seventh with 75s following play on Saturday.

Badall picked up playing golf in college while working at The Meadows Golf Course on the campus of Grand Valley State University.

He played college baseball at GVSU, but never high school or college golf.

“I just started taking the game up in college,” Badall said. “I hardly think of myself as one of the good golfers in town.”

Badall shot 37-33 for the two nines on Saturday with four birdies on the back nine. He owns a membership to the course and plays a number of early rounds – prior to his 2-year-old waking up in the morning.

“The Grande is such a unique course because it provides a number of different challenges,” Badall said. “The cards were in my favor today … hopefully it works out tomorrow.”

Players competed on the Vandercook Lake golf course from the green tees – 6,838 yards and par 72. 

A total of 41 golfers entered the tournament. In years past, a cut was set in order to advance to the second round but that rule was changed this year by the Jackson Golf Committee.

Badall, Hestwood, and Page will tee off in the final group at The Grande on Sunday at approximately 9:44 a.m.

First round scores of the

Jackson Masters Golf Tournament

Par 72, at The Grande Golf Club

Joey Badall 70
Riley Hestwood 71
Dave Page 73
Mark Kurzynowski 74
Tim Pickering 74
Pete Walz 74
Scott Denig 75
Nathan LaZebnik 75
Bret Valkuchak 75
Justin Bunch 75
Cody Lysher 75
Cannon Risner 75
Colin Norton 76
Mike Raymond 76
Mike Boldt 77
Dave Mickle 78
Sean Vann 78
Dave Crandall 78
Brett Casto 79
Bo Cochrane 79
Trevor Raymond 79
Bryan Marvin 80
Chris Chaney 80
Logan Anuszkiewicz 81
Mike Brockie 82
Tom Raymond 83
Brian Carney 83
Evan Brzyski 83
Brogan Brockie 83
Malon Backinger 85
John Tarpley 85
Noah Abbey 86
Josh VanCampen 86
Brad McEldowney 87
Tim Corser 88
Matt Way 88
Tyler Callahan 89
Joe Midena 90
Matt Brown 91
Jamie Clark 93
Joel Collins 93

Jackson area golfer Tom Raymond makes a full turn during the Jackson Masters Golf Tournament at The Grande Golf Club on Saturday. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports.