Team Australia extends lead after Day 2; Gaun, Rathbone lead Boys and Girls Divisions, respectively
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON – (September 21, 2019) – Day two of the MJT National Team Challenge presented by Freedom 55 Financial featured many teams posting improvements and climbing up the leaderboard. Another beautiful day at Royal Niagara Golf Club provided excellent scoring conditions for the players, many of whom shaved off strokes from their opening rounds.
Increasing their day one lead by five shots and firing the lowest team score of the day of 296 was Team Australia. Leading the charge today for the Australians was 15-year-old, Jeffrey Guan, who carded a bogey-free, three-under par, 69 and takes a one-shot lead in the Junior Boys division with a two-day total of 141 (72-69). Contributing to Team Australia’s score today were 17-year-old, Joshuaa Roberts (74), 16-year-old, Bart Carroll (74), and 17-year-old, Hamish Murray (79). Team Australia currently sits with a two-day team score of 594 and holds an eight-shot lead.
Continuing to sit in second place with another team score of 301 today, totaling 602 over two days is Henry Brunton Golf. Leading the group in the second round were 18-year-old, Yaroslav Ilyenko (73), and 17-year-old, Daniel Talmage (73). Both players currently sit tied for fourth place individually in the Junior Boys division. Also contributing to the team’s score were 16-year-old, Kiefer Bulau (74) and 16-year-old, Ethan Gillis (81).
The Sean Foley Performance team sit in third place after a 2nd round score of 303 and a two-day team total of 604. Making up the team scores were 16-year-old, Kiko Coelho (72), 17-year-old, Cyrus Lee (75), 16-year-old, Iris Wang (77), and 17-year-old, Minjae Park (79). Coelho sits in second place individually after two days with a 142 (70-72) and Lee sits tied for fourth with a 147 (72-75). In the junior girls division, Wang jumped up to second place with a two-day total of 157 (80-77).
MJT Team West carded the low second-day team score of the three regional MJT teams with a 305, a 32-shot improvement from day one. The forefront of that improvement came from Kelowna, BC-resident, Cooper Humphreys, 14, who shot a one-under, 71, a 10-shot improvement from the first day. Overall, MJT Team East currently sit in fifth place with a two-day team score of 618 (312-306). Their improvement came thanks to Toronto, ON’s Alessandra Nagayo, 15, who improved her day one score by eight shots (83, 75 = 158). Nagayo’s 75 was the lowest individual score in the Junior Girls division today and shot her into a tie for third place. MJT Team Central sits in eighth place with a two-day score of 633 (322-311).
Notable MJT members in the field include Autumn Neiszner, 15, of Regina, SK and Rozlyn Rooke, 15, of Milton, ON. Neiszner (78, 80 = 158) sits tied with Nagayo for third place in the Junior Girls division while Rooke (77, 83 = 160) has a hold of fifth place. In the Junior Boys division, Luke DelGobbo, 16, of Fonthill, ON, jumped into a tie for third place with his second-day score of 71 and two day total of 146. Also tied for third with back-to-back rounds of 73 is Graem Costigan, 16, of Cambridge, ON.
Stay up-to-date with the action from Royal Niagara Golf Club by visiting our website at www.maplejt.com. Tee times for round three can be found here; play begins at 7:30 AM EST.
About Freedom 55 Financial: Freedom 55 Financial, a division of London Life Insurance Company, offers financial security advice and planning to Canadians through its 3,760 financial security advisors across Canada. Freedom 55 Financial offers London Life’s own brand of life insurance, savings and investments, retirement income, annuities, and mortgage products to Canadians. For more information visit Freedom55Financial.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 presented nationally by Boston Pizza and supported by valued Premier, Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT hosts close to 80 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for 7 to 12 year olds, the Collegiate Tour for 19 to 23 year olds, and multi-day events for competitive players aged 11 to 18 which are also qualifiers 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. For more information, see www.maplejt.com.
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