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Jackson County Open Champion Josh Dirlam (photo courtesy Cascades Golf Course) By Gary Kalahar, JTV Sports Josh Dirlam and Scott Denig were both happy to see the script flipped a bit Sunday in the Jackson County Open golf tournament. Dirlam birdied the first hole to beat Denig in a playoff after they tied at 4-under-par 140 at Cascades Golf Course. For Dirlam, it meant a breakthrough victory after some close calls this season. For Denig, it was gratifying to stay in contention until the end. With a second straight day of good scoring conditions – outside of two brief rain showers, the second halting play due to a storm --  a tournament-record seven players finished under par. Cody Lysher was third at 142, and Andrew Tindall, Mark Kurzynowski, Steve Maddalena and Greg Zeller all posted 1-under 143. Dirlam, a senior at Lawrence Technological University, added the County Open title to his 2015 City Championship. This year, he finished second in the Jackson Masters, went to the semifinals in the Lyle Ambs Memorial, and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the Michigan Amateur. He took a two-stroke lead into the final round of this one. “A lot of close calls,” Dirlam…

Story By Gary Kalahar, JTV Sports  Jackson, Mich - Time marches on, and so does Steve Maddalena. The ageless 57-year-old  showed yet again Sunday that he is not ready to give way to the younger set when it’s time to win a golf tournament. Hard to believe, but there was a line missing from Maddalena’s resume that has now been added as he captured the Lyle Ambs Memorial at Sharp Park Golf Course. Maddalena defeated Jake Butterfield, a sophomore on the golf team at Olivet Nazarene University, 5 and 3 in the championship match of the 16-player match play tournament. Maddalena’s 26 victories in Jackson’s major tournaments have spanned an amazing 35 years – he broke through with the City Championship in 1983 – but this was his first in the Lyle Ambs. It was just his fourth appearance in the tournament, which until 2010 was open only to public course players. He is the tournament’s oldest winner, and he joins Mike Brockie, Mark Kurzynowski and Pete Walz as the only players to earn Jackson’s version of the Grand Slam with victories in all six of the local tournaments. The championship came just days after Maddalena posted what might have…