Team Canada’s Lau shoots 69 to win rain-shortened MJT at Meadow Gardens
For Immediate Release
For full results please click here.
Team Canada’s Lau shoots 69 to win rain-shortened MJT at Meadow Gardens
Pitt Meadows, B.C. - (March 30, 2015) – Team Canada member Alisha Lau, 15, of Richmond, B.C., fired 69 to win the MJT Girls Division title and Low Overall at the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s rain-shortened recent stop at Meadow Gardens Golf Course in Pitt Meadows, B.C. The tournament was scheduled to run March 28th and 29th and also serve as a qualifier for the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships, but inclement weather forced both cancellation of the final round and the moving of the qualifier to April 25th and 26th at Pagoda Ridge Golf Course in Langley, B.C.
Lau, who won by four strokes, said, “It feels nice to put a good round together in the beginning of the season, especially with some of the changes I’ve been making. Over the winter I worked a lot on my swing. This win will give me a bit more confidence playing again.”
The MJT Girls 14 and under division was won by Michelle Cha, 13, of Surrey, B.C., (83), who stated, “I had very supportive teammates and competitors – the encouragement from my friends and family impacted how I played today.”
Shayne LaRochelle, 19, of Coquitlam, B.C. claimed the MJT Junior Boys 17-19 title after shooting 73. “It was windy and very difficult at the beginning of the round,” he said. “I tried to stay positive and was able to come back and shoot a good score. It feels good to win my second MJT.”
Another score of 73 secured the MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 win for Mathew McConnachie, 16, of Surrey, who believed that his putting saved him. “I made a lot of up and downs which also really helped. It feels really good to get my first win of the year and hopefully it will give me momentum to keep on playing well for the rest of the season.”
There was a tie for the lead with a score of 83 in the MJT Bantam Boys 13-14 division between Andy Jang, 14, of Langley, B.C., and Dylan Bercan, 13, of Vancouver, B.C., with the trophy decided on countback and going to Andy Jang. Jang said that coming down the stretch he was just thinking, ‘Don’t make another double. Don’t make any more mistakes and enjoy!’
A five stroke margin ensured the MJT Peewee Boys 12 and under win went to Cole Bowering, 12, of Vancouver, who shot 74 from the green tees on a layout he rated as ‘tough with lots of water and wet.’ He added, “I feel good - just to know that I can compete with other kids is a good feeling.”
Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition winners were Angel Lin of Surrey, Jacklyn Duchen of Burnaby, BC, Adam Niles of Kamloops, BC, Chase Aul of Coquitlam, and Cort Weiner of West Vancouver, BC. Sligo Skills winners in the Closest-to-the-Pin Competition were Jennifer Gu of West Vancouver, Bethany Ma of Vancouver, Echo Wu of Surrey, Andy Jang, Richard Jiang of Vancouver, and Geordie Miller of Grande Prairie, AB.
The next MJT event is the MJT Kikkor Classic at Morgan Creek Golf Club in Surrey, BC, on April 11th and 12th. Sponsored by Canada’s first-ever NCAA Champion and two-time winner on the Canadian Tour and KIKKOR Golf founder, James Lepp, the tournament is also a direct entry qualifier into the US Kids World Championships at the world-class Pinehurst Resort for 11-12 year olds and into the US Kids Teen World Championships for 13-18 year olds. For more information, please see www.maplejt.com.
About the MJT: The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour presented by Boston Pizza is Canada’s number-one played Junior Golf Tour as well as the only national junior tour run exclusively by PGA of Canada Professionals and the ‘Road to College Golf’ in Canada. The organization is generously supported by Boston Pizza and Premier Partners Cleveland Golf, Srixon, Ford, Mr. Lube, Golf Town and Travel Underwriters, in addition to valued Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT hosts more than 70 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for players 12 and under, and multi-day events for competitive players which also qualify juniors for international competitions. The program offers annual awards, scholarships, and frequent player incentives to help reward player's performance and participation throughout each season. MJT alumni include many Professional Tour players and PGA of Canada Professionals, as well as Canadian Amateur, National and Provincial Junior Champions. The MJT aims to develop champions, in golf and in life, promoting the game from grassroots through to provincial, national, university and professional level.
MEDIA CONTACT: Elaine Denton, MJT edenton@maplejt.com 1-877-859-GOLF www.maplejt.com