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Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA Professionals

Press Release

August 28-29, 2006
Whistler, BC

For Immediate Release — August 31, 2006

WORLD CLASS SETTING FOR MJT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

WHISTLER, BC – Junior golfers from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia qualified all season-long on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour for the MJT Boston Pizza National Tour Championship presented by Odlum Brown in the superb setting of Whistler, BC, this past week. The elite field of 60 invited players from across the country played August 28th on Whistler Golf Club and August 29th on Nicklaus North Golf Club, in a 36-hole stroke play format, with division winners receiving exemptions into the 2007 China Junior Open.

In spite of strong winds playing havoc with scores on the beautifully-conditioned golf courses, Andrew Funk, 17, of Edmonton, AB, fired 72-74 to be crowned Boys 17 and up champion while also laying claim to the low overall score of 146. “I felt very confident with my game heading in to this tournament and I played well,” said Funk, who recently competed in Scotland on MJT Team Canada. “Ted Cho (from Langley, BC) played very well on the front nine (on day two) and grabbed a couple of shots lead, however I wasn’t too worried because I know how the back nine can be unpredictable, and it truly was.”

Runner-up to Funk in the division was Brett Webster, 18, of Abbotsford, BC, who shot 77-73 (150) and Johnny Hall, 17, of Langton, ON, finished in third place with scores of 75-78 (153).

The Boys 14-16 champion was John Koo, 16, of Langley, BC, who shot 76-73 (149) to edge runner-up Kenny Gregor, 16, of Calgary, AB, by one stroke. “My course management was really good. I didn’t make too many mistakes and my putting was quite good as well,” said Koo. “I was four shots back starting day two, birdied 17 then made par to win on the 18th hole. The comeback was nice. I’m really happy to win such a big event and if I’m eligible, I’ll accept the invitation to China.” Gregor shot 72-78 (150). Three more Albertans tied for third place at 157 total score: Eric Allard, 15, of Calgary (81-76), Carson Kallis, 14, of Red Deer (79-78), and Jason Thiels, 15, of Olds (75-82).

11-year-old Kevin Lee of Surrey, BC, won the Boys 13 and under division champion’s title by four strokes after firing back-to-back rounds of 77. Lee cited the key to his success as using irons or a three-wood instead of a driver off the tee, and his tournament highlight as an eagle on Nicklaus North. “I was lucky and I will accept a spot to the China Junior Open if I’m eligible,” he said. Second place in the division went to Truman Tai, 12, of Markham, ON, who shot 80-78 (158), while third place went to Jon Strasdin, 13, of Prince George, BC (79-80=159).

Sue Kim, 15, of Langley, BC, was crowned Girls champion after posting great scores of 75-76 (151), beating runner-up Jennifer Yang, 12, of Coquitlam, BC, by five strokes. “I’m proud to represent the MJT and win this championship two years in a row,” she said. Yang shot 76-80 (156) while MJT Team Canada to Mexico member, Kristina Gargaro, 16, of Port Moody, BC, shot 82-79 (161) to finish third.

The divisional winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Jon Strasdin, Tanner McGregor, 15, of Saskatoon, SK, Cole Roblin, 19, of Kelowna, BC, and Soo Bin Kim, 13, of Port Coquitlam, BC. The Sundog Skills competition divisional winners were Ryan O’Donnell, 13, of Lethbridge, AB, Steven Nakajima, 15, of Delta, BC, Taylor Smith, 17, of Swift Current, SK, and Sue Kim.

Team Ontario, consisting of Johnny Hall, Truman Tai, Bryann Germann of Kitchener and Brad Burgess of Caistor Centre, won the Odlum Brown inter-provincial competition at the championship with a total score of 471. Team Alberta (Andrew Funk, Jack Wesche of Calgary, Rhys Royer of Calgary and Evan Cowan of Coaldale) finished second with 474, with Team Saskatchewan/Manitoba finishing third with 484 (Spencer Harris of Winnipeg, MB, Matt Loewen of Winkler, MB, Cory Southam of Strongfield, SK, and Taylor Smith). Team British Columbia was disqualified.

Annual awards were also announced, including Cleveland Golf Players of the Year and OGIO Ironman winners. BC juniors made a clean sweep as eligible recipients of the Cleveland Golf Players of the Year (lowest stroke average with a minimum participation in five MJT events), with Andy Yang of Coquitlam in Boys 13 and under, Kyle Dodman of Abbotsford in Boys 14-16, Ted Cho of Langley in Boys 17 and up, and Jennifer Yang in the Girls division due to Sue Kim being a previous winner.

The OGIO Ironman awards, which went to one boy and girl in each province who played the most MJT events this year and had the highest Order of Merit points, were won by Jessie Singh of Surrey and Jennifer Yang in BC, Travis Kemp and Anisha Chong, both of Lethbridge, in Alberta, Nathan Corrin of Moose Jaw and Kyla Reay of Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Travis Fifi of Brandon and Kyla Ketcheson of St. Andrews in Manitoba, Meg Pototshnik of Stratford and Truman Tai in Ontario.

The MJT Boston Pizza National Tour Championship presented by Odlum Brown concluded the regular multi-day season for the non-profit program. One-day post-season tournaments run in Alberta and BC this fall. For more information or to register, please visit www.maplejt.com.


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 national 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 aims to develop champions, in golf and in life. For more information please visit www.maplejt.com.

About Odlum Brown
Odlum Brown Limited is an independent, BC based, full-service investment firm focused on providing professional investment advice, objective research and personalized client service. The firm offers equities, fixed income, mutual funds and GICs, as well as financial, retirement and estate planning, and a Young Investors Club for children. For more information visit - www.OdlumBrown.com

Contact:
Elaine Denton,
Marketing & PR, MJT
T: 604-943-1645
Email: edenton@maplejt.com