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The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA ProfessionalsPress Release
May 6-7, 2006
Meadow Gardens GC • Pitt Meadows, BC
Lock and Kim Join Maple Leaf Team Canada to Mexico
PITT MEADOWS, B.C. – The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) held the MJT G&G Golf Classic at Meadow Gardens Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, this past weekend, a qualifier for Maple Leaf Team Canada to Mexico.
The tournament, sponsored by G&G Golf Company, was to qualify one boy and one girl for the Canadian contingent in the 5th International Junior Golf Invitational in Cuernavaca, August 14-18, 2006. The rest of the eight-player squad for 2006 are being selected from other qualifiers across the country.
Mitchell Lock, 17, of Mission and a Mission Golf Club junior, went birdie, par, eagle on his last three holes to shoot 74-72 (146) and win low overall tournament score and the Boys 17 & up division title, securing his spot on the team in style. Coming down the 18th hole on Sunday, Lock was two strokes off the lead when he hit his three wood 240 yards into the wind to reach the green in two, sticking it to two-and-a-half feet of the pin where he then made the birdie putt to win by two. “I never gave up and kept fighting ‘til the end,” said Lock, who played on Maple Leaf Team Canada in Cuernavaca last year as well, and will now return to defend their champion’s title over Mexico and the United States. “It means so much to me to win today because it’s my first win on tour.”
Tied for second place behind Lock at 148 total score were Danny Lee Jun, 18, of Langley, and Cole Roblin, 19, of Kelowna, who shot 78-70 and 77-71 respectively.
The girls spot on the team was won by Sue Kim, 15, of Langley, a Redwoods Golf Club junior, who fired rounds of 72-77 (149) and credited her focus and determination for the victory. “I love playing with friends, it was really fun,” said Kim, who clinched the division trophy after edging runner-up Julie Kim, 18, of Port Coquitlam, by one stroke. Julie Kim shot 72-78 (150). Third place went to Kristina Gargaro, 16, of Port Moody, who shot 78-76 (154). Fourth spot was taken 10-year-old phenomenon, Jisoo Keel of Coquitlam, who posted scores of 75-80 (155).
Champion of the Boys 14-16 division was Paul Mitzel, 16, of Mercer Island in Washington State, U.S.A., who shot 75-77 for a 152 total score for 36 holes and a six stroke victory. “My putting was the best it’s ever been,” he said. “My short game, making the up and downs, keeping it in the fairway- made the difference.” John Koo, 16, of Langley, placed second in the division after shooting 78-80 (158), while Spencer Lightburn, 16, of Abbotsford, came in third place with rounds of 83-79 (162).
Mike Belle, 13, of Burnaby, and a Vancouver Golf Club junior, won the Boys 13 and under division after posting scores of 84-81 for a 165 total. “The course was difficult and the greens were great – making the putts when I needed to helped me win,” he said. “I just joined the MJT and this was my second tournament.” Belle beat runner-up Gunntas Sidhu, 11, of Port Coquitlam, by four strokes. Sidhu shot 84-85 while David Worsley, 13, of Vancouver, took third place with scores of 84-87 (171).
The divisional winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Howard Kim, 13, of Coquitlam, John Koo, Brett Webster, 16, of Abbotsford, and Chelsea Kim, 16, of Coquitlam. The Sundog Skills competition divisional winners were Danny Yu, 12,of Surrey, Luke Brooks, 16, of Pitt Meadows, Kent Hector, 17, of Tsawwassen, and Julie Kim.
A popular event conducted at the same time as the tournament was another MJT Ford Go Golf! Junior Clinic, free to young people keen to try golf and sponsored by West Coast Ford in Maple Ridge. Over 50 youth took part in learning game fundamentals, taught by the MJT and Meadow Gardens Golf Club professional staff.
The MJT continues its British Columbia schedule on May 27th and 28th at Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford, with the MJT Fraser Valley Championship presented by Lindsay Kenney – a qualifier for the CAN-USA junior team matches in Tempe, Arizona, this December. For more information or to register, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.
About the MJT
As a not-for-profit association, the national Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) presented by Boston Pizza is Canada’s only major junior tour run exclusively by Canadian PGA Professionals. The program helps develop Canada's junior golfers, offering clinics, tournaments, international competitions and more. From free introductory clinics sponsored by Ford to the major CPGA Zone-sponsored junior championships, the MJT offers a quality experience for players. For more information please visit www.maplejt.com.
Contact:
Elaine Denton,
Marketing & PR, MJT
T: 604-943-1645
Email: edenton@maplejt.com