Kuntz fires 70, leads MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf
Kissimmee, FL - (November 8, 2019) – With a record-sized field of top Canadian junior golfers, round one of the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf at Reunion Resort in Florida saw great action today from players from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. Players took lessons learned from the previous night’s guest speakers, legendary golf coaches Butch Harmon and Sean Foley, and applied them to their game plan during the opening round.
The lowest score on Friday came in the MJT Juvenile Boys division by 2018 MJT National Champion, Braxton Kuntz. The 15-year-old from Winnipeg, MB, continued his fine play at this year’s tournament carding a two-under 70 and opening up a two-shot lead. “I made my round really simple,” said Kuntz. “I hit a lot of fairways and greens and the odd putt went in and that’s how I got under par.” Kuntz was the only player in the field to record a sub-par first round. Sitting in second place after the first round is Calgary, AB-player, Cooper Lindberg, 16, who fired an even-par, 72. Three other players sit tied for third place and six shots behind Kuntz.
Kiefer Bulau, 17, of King City, ON, took the opening round lead in the MJT Junior Boys division firing an even-par 72. Bulau, who began his round on the back nine, got off to a hot start making three birdies on his way to a three-under, 33. Sitting just one shot behind Bulau is Edmonton, AB-resident, Nicholas Rimmer (73), 17. Rimmer played a consistent round firing a 37 on the front and 36 on the back. Two other players sit tied for third with rounds of 74 and only five shots separate the first seven players in this division.
The MJT Bantam Boys division saw Vancouver, BC-golfer, Aaron Huang take a commanding six-shot lead over the rest of the division. Huang, who carded two wins on the MJT BC circuit this year, fired an opening round of one-over, 73, while playing the par 3s at even par. The 2019 MJT SK Bantam Boys OOM winner, Thomas Danielson, 14, and 2019 MJT Player of the Year, Ryan Vest, 13, both sit in a tie for second place with rounds of 79. Both players will be looking to make a push to catch Huang over the next two days.
The MJT Peewee Boys division saw two Vancouver, BC, golfers take the top two spots after the first round. 2019 MJT BC OOM winner, Emil Liddell, 12, grabbed the opening round lead with a 76 and 2019 MJT Mini Tour National Champion, Michael Li, 12, got a hold of second with a 79. Sitting in third place, from Warman, SK, is 12-year-old, Dane Giesbrecht, with an 81. “I made a few mistakes out there,” said the 2019 MJT SK OOM winner when asked about his round. “Otherwise, the round was pretty solid.”
It was the opening round Ontario sweep from the MJT Girls 15-18 division. Taking the lead with a 75 was Burlington’s Sarah Gallagher. Gallagher, who recorded one win earlier this year at the MJT Ontario Series presented by PLYR Golf at Rebel Creek Golf Club, got off to the start she wanted, saying, “I thought I scored really well given how I struck the golf ball. I’m happy with my start and it was a decent round for me.” Peyton Costabile, 15, from Ayr, Ella Weber, 14, of Burlington, and Kelly Zhao, 13, of North York, all shot 78 to sit tied for second place.
Continuing her success all season and taking the opening round lead in the MJT U15 Girls division was 11-year-old, Anna Huang. The talented young golfer from Vancouver, BC, who recorded three wins combined on the MJT Junior and Mini Tours this season, fired a 76 to take a three-shot over 2019 MJT SK OOM winner, Ella Kozak. Kozak, 13, from Yorkton, SK, shot a 79 and will be looking to gain some ground in tomorrow’s round.
The MJT Collegiate Division saw Saskatoon, SK-native, Keighton McNab, 20, fire an opening 75 and take a two-shot lead over Edmonton, AB-resident, Dakota Smith (77), 23.
Round two of the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TalyorMade and adidas Golf will begin tomorrow with another 8:00 am shotgun. To find a list of the players’ starting holes, please click here.
About Boston Pizza: BPI is Canada's number one casual dining brand with annual gross sales in excess of $1.0 billion serving more than 45 million guests through over 380 mainly franchisee operated restaurants. The Boston Pizza brand has successfully existed for over 50 years since opening its first restaurant in Edmonton, Alberta in 1964. BPI has been recognized as a Platinum Member of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies and has been a Franchisees' Choice Designation winner for six consecutive years. For more information, visit www.bostonpizza.com.
About TaylorMade Golf Company: Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, TaylorMade Golf is a leading manufacturer of high performance golf equipment with industry-leading innovative products like M5/M6 metalwoods, M5/M6 irons, TP5/TP5X golf balls and Spider putters. A major force on the PGA TOUR, TaylorMade has an unrivaled athlete portfolio that includes Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Matthew Wolff, Collin Morikawa, Nick Taylor and Michael Gligic.
About the adidas Group: The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around the core brands: adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade and Reebok-CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 53,000 employees. Click here for the website.
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 over 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.