Former Michigan State golfers enjoy return to area to play at Symetra's FireKeepers event
Four players with ties to Michigan State playing in Symetra Tour FireKeepers event in Battle Creek
Playing on the Symetra Tour can take you all over the country. But this weekend, for four golfers, they will feel like they are back home - or at least close.
Battle Creek will become the home of the Spartans for at least one weekend as four players with ties to Michigan State will be playing in the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship on this Symetra Tour stop at Battle Creek Country Club. The action started Friday with Day 1 of the event, with the final round on Sunday.
"There's a comfort level because I love playing golf in Michigan and we are close to Michigan State," said Allyssa Ferrell, who played at MSU from 2011-14. "And to get to play with two of my former teammates, it should be a fun weekend.
"We were talking this week and figured out the last time we all played together was probably in college. So this a great and rare opportunity."
Joining Ferrell in the 144-player field is former MSU golfers Christine Meier and Liz Nagel, as well as current Spartan junior Allyson Geer, who received a sponsor exemption to get a spot this weekend.
The three former MSU players were all in the same playing group on Day 1.
"Liz still lives near Lansing, so we went to her place earlier this week and took another tour of the campus and it was nice to experience a little piece of home again. MSU will always be my home away from home," Ferrell said. "I think with us playing together, we can feed off each other like old times. It will be a little different because we aren't on the same team anymore, we are competitors and we all will be looking to win, plus there might be some bragging rights to be won between us all, too."
Ferrell is originally from Wisconsin, but the Battle Creek stop also means playing golf in their home state for Nagel, Meier and Geer. Nagel played high school golf in DeWitt, Meier is from Rochester Hills and Geer is from Brighton.
Nagel, who played at MSU from 2011-14, has had four career top-10 finishes on the Symetra Tour. Ferrell will be looking to bounce back after missing the cut last weekend. Meier, played for MSU from 2010-2014, and also missed the cut last week.
For Meier, Battle Creek Country Club holds a special place in her heart. She won the Golf Association of Michigan Women's Championship there at the age of 17.
"I love this week, it feels good to come back to a place where there are so many positives," said Meier prior to playing her first round. "It's pretty neat to have a big group of Spartans out here. My sister lives in Lansing now and she's going to come caddy, as well."
Day 1 Results:
On the first day of tournament play at Battle Creek Country Club, Janie Jackson pulled ahead early and held on to her lead with a 7-under-par 65 when play was called for the day at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.
A hectic afternoon filled with constant weather changes and steady rainfall called for a weather delay that sidelined the players for a large portion of the afternoon. Play was delayed at an official time of 3:11 p.m. and did not resume until 6:25 p.m. Many of the players found a way to move up the leaderboard once play resumed, but none could edge out Jackson's performance. The former University of Alabama golfer talked about the effects of the weather post-round.
"For me to say that I was not prepared for the rain would be accurate," said Jackson. "I had none of my rain gear, didn't have my umbrella, and played the front nine with my towel on top of my head. But honestly, it wasn't a ton of rain, just enough to soften the course up a little bit. The greens were soft and receptive so I kind of liked it."
Jackson has a one-stroke lead heading into the second day of play and first-round play is set to resume at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Former MSU players Ferrell, Meier and Nagel all took advantage of being back in Michigan for the tournament and posted scores in the 70s in the first round with Nagel leading the way with a 70.
Contact Bill Broderick (269) 966-0678 or bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick.