Addison Volleyball Invitational Aug. 24, 2019. Photos by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. To order prints or downloads, click here. [ngg src="galleries" ids="490" display="pro_blog_gallery"]Addison Volleyball Invitational Aug. 24, 2019. Photos by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. To order prints or downloads, click here.
Pittsford XC Invitational, Aug. 21, 2019. Photos by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. To order prints or downloads, click here. [ngg src="galleries" ids="488" display="pro_blog_gallery"]Pittsford XC Invitational, Aug. 21, 2019. Photos by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. To order prints or downloads, click here.
Reagan Rudd of East Jackson High School shot a 90 at the Western Golf Invitational Friday. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Jeff Steers JTV Sports East Jackson High School girls’ golf Coach Ray Hill said the Lady Trojans expect to be one of the top teams in Jackson County. So far, so good. The Lady Trojans finished fourth at the Western Girls Golf Invitational at Arbor Hills Golf Club on Friday. East Jackson shot a four-man total of 394 to finish as the top scoring team from Jackson County. Powerhouse Okemos High School won the 18-hole event with a team score of 325. Okemos finished third in Division 2 last year. They were led by Allison Cui with a 4-under-par 68. Marshall was second as all-state golfer Karlee Malone shot an 80 – good for second place individually. The Redhawks shot a four-man total of 358. Coldwater was fourth at 380 and EJ was 14 strokes behind the Cardinals. East Jackson was led by Alexis Brzezinski with an 83 to finish third individually. Reagan Rudd also shot a 90 for the Lady Trojans. Lumen Christi Catholic School finished sixth as Emily Sierakowski was top-10 player on the day…
Golfer Mark Kurzynowski celebrates after chipping in a shot at the City Golf Championship last week at Cascades Golf Course. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Jeff Steers JTV Sports Little did Jackson golf Mark Kurzynowski know that the City Golf Championship win in 2009 could be his last. After nearly 15 years of winning local titles – and dominating Jackson golf in the years 1998 to 2003 – the long hitting Kurzynowski would soon find that health concerns would interrupt his championship run. A year later, Kurzynowski could feel that something was not right in his back. Two years later doctors would insert two eight-inch rods in his back with a “cage” around the rods. “I was diagnosed with two degenerative discs and three degenerative vertebrae in my back,” Kurzynowski said last week after losing in the Jackson City Golf Championships at Cascades Golf Course. “I think it came from bad decisions in my 20s and the wear-and-tear of beating golf balls for years. He had the surgery in January of 2012, but didn’t pick up a golf club for at least eight months. “I just started with some chip shots,” Kurzynowski said. “I didn’t play tournament golf…
Steve Maddalena follows through on a shot during the City Golf Championship at Cascades Golf Course on Saturday. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Gary Kalahar JTV Sports The importance of driving distance was made clear Saturday in the final match of the City Championship golf tournament. It doesn’t mean a darn thing – at least for Steve Maddalena. Regularly outdriven by 30, 40, even 50 yards, Maddalena once again used precision iron play to add to his legacy as Jackson’s greatest amateur golfer by winning a record seventh City title. Maddalena won the first five holes on the way to a 6-and-5 victory over Riley Hestwood in the 36-hole final match on an ideal day at Cascades Golf Course. Maddalena broke a tie with Bob Zimmerman and Robert Corley, who each won the City six times. Already the tournament’s oldest winner when he took the championship in 2016 at age 56, Maddalena extended that mark out another three years and also matched Zimmerman’s mark for longevity by winning 36 years after his first City title. It was a disappointing end to a thrilling week for Hestwood, who hasn’t even been playing golf as long as Maddalena has qualified…
2019 City Golf Championship, August 10, 2019. Cascades Golf Course. Photos by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. To order prints or downloads, click here. [ngg src="galleries" ids="480" display="pro_blog_gallery"]2019 City Golf Championship, August 10, 2019. Cascades Golf Course. Photos by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. To order prints or downloads, click here.
City Golf Championship quarterfinal and semifinals. August 8-9, 2019. Cascades Golf Course. To order prints or downloads, click here. Photos by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. [ngg src="galleries" ids="478" display="pro_blog_gallery"]City Golf Championship quarterfinal and semifinals. August 8-9, 2019. Cascades Golf Course. To order prints or downloads, click here. Photos by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports.
Riley Hestwood hits a shot during the 2019 Spring Thaw at Cascades Golf Course. He will play in the City Championship Saturday against Steve Maddalena. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Jeff Steers JTV Sports Those thinking that six-time city champ Steve Maddalena will keep missing putts normally find themselves on the sidelines. He proved that again Friday in a 19-hole match. Maddalena made his final two putts of the night to earn a classic 1-up win over Mark Kurzynowski in the City Golf Championship Friday at Cascades Golf Course. Maddalena will face Riley Hestwood in the 36-hole final Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. at Cascades. The second 18 holes are expected to begin about 11:30 a.m. Maddalena uncharacteristically missed three short putts on the front nine. Both players shot 1-under par with eight pars and a birdie on No. 6. “I knew I was due as I hadn’t made anything all day,” Maddalena said. He took a 1-up lead on hole No. 10 with a birdie, but gave it back with a poor tee shot on No. 11. Kurzynowski twice escaped from tree trouble on holes No. 12 and 13 to remain tied. He went 1-up with…
Greg Zeller, one of Jackson's top golfers in the two decades since he turned 40, is this year's inductee into the Jackson Golf Hall of Fame. Zeller will become the Hall of Fame's 57th member in ceremonies at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at Sharp Park Golf Course. The public is invited to the induction ceremony. "Greg's success came later than most," Hall of Fame chairman Gary Kalahar said. "But once he started winning, he has consistently remained among the city's top competitors. His record over the last 20 years puts him in the top echelon of those who have played the game here." Zeller's first local tournament championship came when he won the County Open in a four-way playoff in 2000 at the age of 41, and since then he has accumulated 12 Jackson major titles, ranking him 12th on the all-time list. Just last year, he became the oldest winner of the County Open and took the Tournament of Champions while finishing second on the Player of the Year Honor Roll. He has won a record-tying six Tournament of Champions, plus lost playoffs in two others. He has an outstanding record in the County Open, which he has won…
Steve Maddalena watches his drive head down the fairway at Cascades Golf Course during the Jackson City Golf Championship on Thursday. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Jeff Steers JTV Sports It will be like old times when the Jackson City Golf Championships resume on Friday. Six-time City champions Steve Maddalena will face four-time champion Mark Kurzynowsky in one semifinal beginning at approximately 4 p.m. at Cascades Golf Course Conor Spencer will face Riley Hestwood in the other semifinal match beginning at noon. Maddalena defeated Cody Lysher 5-3 in the quarterfinals Thursday afternoon to advance. Kurzynowski defeated Brogan Brockie 2-1 earlier in the day for another semifinal appearance. Maddalena said the two have played “about 100 times” with Kurzynowski having the upper hand – according to Maddalena. Both golfers beat a pair of young golfers who boom their drives over 300 yards. “I can’t hit the ball 320 like some of these guys,” Maddalena said. “I concentrate on fairways and hitting greens. “If I eliminate bogeys, I can be close.” Maddalena has lately played in a number of senior events where players are allowed to use carts. The use of carts is not allowed in the City Championships. “It…