RAIN SUSPENDS PLAY EARLY ON DAY ONE

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — On the first day of tournament play at Battle Creek Country Club, Janie Jackson (Huntsville, Alabama) 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. ET and did not resume until 6:25 p.m. ET that evening. 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. ET on Saturday.

Making her return to the Tour this week was Sweden native Linnea Johansson. This was her first tournament since taking a two-week trip back home to Sweden, and with the way she played, it didn’t seem like the break had been too long.

She recorded two birdies on the front nine and made the turn at two-under.

Johansson came out of the gate strong on the back with a birdie on the 10th hole. Her bogey-free day continued as she pushed closer to the end of her round, recording another birdie on 17, and finished the day strong at four under with a bogey-free round.

“I played really solid golf, created a lot of chances, and made the majority of my putts so I was really happy with today,” said Johansson, who was in a tie for seventh when play was stopped due to the rain delay.

With dark, gloomy skies came heavy rain, and by 3 p.m., the sirens went off, and the ladies’ day was temporarily postponed until play resumed at 6:25 p.m. The final sirens blew at 8:30 p.m., and the first round came to a temporary close. Heading into Saturday morning, players who need to finish their first round will resume at 8:30 a.m. The second round will begin at 8:45 a.m. off holes number one and ten. The second round afternoon wave will tee-off around 1:30 p.m.

SWEDEN NATIVE JOHANSSON ENJOYS TRIP HOME

When you spend nearly all year long traveling the country competing in golf tournaments, the spare time you get to spend at home becomes extremely precious.

Linnea Johansson’s trip back home to Sweden was well worth the wait.

Entering her second season on the Epson Tour, Johansson has become accustomed to living her life on the road, as well as on the golf course. But a break from that hectic schedule seemed to be just what she needed as shown by the 4-under 68 she shot in Friday’s first round of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, Michigan.

“I went back home for two weeks and got to spend some time with my family as well as practice a little bit with my coach from back home,” said Johansson. “I’m glad I got to spend some time and experience the Swedish summer.”

The last time Johansson got to spend time at home was for just a short seven days in early May. This extended break was a really nice reprieve for the former Oklahoma State alum in what can be a very long season. The Tour is getting ready to hit its home stretch with only seven events remaining and the players know that each tournament can play a big factor in whether or not they earn their LPGA Tour card for next year.

“I’m really excited about the last couple of tournaments coming up,” said Johansson, who currently sits 58thin the Volvik Race for the Card. “It’s gone by so fast, and there’s only about seven events left so I’m looking forward to see what I can do.”

With the rainy weather conditions affecting everyone on the golf course, it didn’t seem to bother Johansson one bit. With four birdies on the day and not a single bogey, Johansson felt like she was on top of her game.

“I played really solid golf, created a lot of chances, and made the majority of my putts so I was really happy with today,” said Johansson, who was in a tie for seventh when play was halted for the day.

SPARTAN TRIO RELIVES COLLEGIATE DAYS

Classmates, teammates, and close friends all fit the description of the 7:52 AM tee time group on hole 10 today in Battle Creek, Michigan as the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship got underway.

It has been four years since Allysa Ferrell, Christine Meier, and Elizabeth Nagel last played for the Michigan State Spartans, but the trio has not missed a beat after graduation.

Tailing them was a small entourage of family and friends with flickers of MSU apparel scattered throughout. Gray skies and soggy greens played host to their competitive reunion with a weather delay coming shortly after their finish.

“It was definitely an experience,” Meier said of playing with her former teammates, “but we play in and out with each other every week. We see each other all the time.”

In addition to still being close off the course, all three posted scores in the low seventies; Nagel finished the lowest with a seventy to cap off her first round.

For many of the golfers competing at Battle Creek Country Club on Friday, the rain significantly altered their play. Greens became sticky, ball contact was questionable, and a few chunky irons shots were a commonality. For these Spartans, however, the weather only created nostalgic memories.

“It was a lot of fun out there,” said Nagel. “Once the drizzle set in, it felt like we were back in our days in the fall [in East Lansing].”

Nagel also reflected on the challenges she faced in Friday’s first round.

“It played a little longer because of how soft everything was,” Nagel said. “You also have to hit the fairway here. All three of us hit some good shots to get out of the trees. Of course, you don’t want to be there in the first place, but I feel that’s the key at this course.”

The Spartan trio will be paired together one more time for the second round on Saturday.

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