Press Release - MJT-Alberta Series at Carstairs GC - July 23-24, 2007

July 23-24, 2007
Carstairs, AB

For Immediate Release — July 25, 2007

Allard and Tomalty Share Low Overall on MJT at Carstairs

CARSTAIRS, AB – Great golfing weather greeted juniors in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s stop at Carstairs Golf Club in Carstairs, AB, on July 23rd and 24th. Temperatures soared to 38 degrees Celcius on Monday, steadied at 26 degrees on Tuesday, and the course was in excellent condition.

Michael Tomalty, 18, of Calgary, knew that the 10 footer he faced on the 18th hole was important, so he bared down and hit it solidly in the middle to win the Boys 17 and up division by two shots. Tomalty fired back-to-back rounds of 72 for an even par 144 total for the tournament. Scott MacDonald, 18, of Calgary (76-70) and Nathan Liewicki, 19, of Edmonton (72-74) tied for second place in the division at 146 total score.

In the Boys 14-16 division, Eric Allard, 16, of Calgary played well coming down the stretch, holding off first round leader Matt Whittaker, 15, of Lethbridge, by one shot. Whittaker birdied the 17th hole to tie the match, but three-putted the 18th hole from 25 feet, while Allard got it up and down from over the back of the green to secure the division title. “I didn’t miss any short putts,” said Allard, who shot 72-72 (144) to share low overall honours with Tomalty in the older division. “I just told myself to keep making pars, don’t give Matt a chance.” Whittaker shot 71-74 (145). Chris Cooke, 16, of Canmore, in his words, “just couldn’t get it going” and finished in third place (72-76=148).

Calgarians dominated the Girls division, where Chelcia Petersen, 16, of the Glencoe Golf Club played two solid rounds around the Carstairs course, posting scores of 75-78 (153) to cruise to victory over 14-year-old Justine Stevens (76-81=157). “I chipped in for birdie today – that was awesome,” said Petersen. “Also, I had three birdies on the front nine the first day. My putting was good and I made lots of ups and downs.” Finishing third was Cecilia Jeon, 15, who shot 83-79 (162).

Among Boys 13 and under, Derek Rucki, 13, of Chestermere held off a hard charging Brett Walsh, 13, of Calgary and Ian Mmbando, 12, of Lethbridge for the win. Rucki carded 77-81=158 to keep them both at bay, after Walsh followed up his opening round of 84 with a 76 – the low round of the tournament for boys 13 and under – and Mmbando shot 82-78.

In the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition, Boys 14-16 winner was Chris Cooke – who drove his ball 330 yards into the wind. The other division winners were Derek Rucki, Michael Tomalty and Justine Stevens. The Sundog Skills Competition divisional winners were Ian Mmbando, Riley Fleming of Airdrie, Marin Trask of Golden, British Columbia, and Rosie Jeon of Calgary.

The MJT’s Alberta circuit has two more stops this summer. The next tournament is August 7th and 8th at McKenzie Meadows Golf Club in Calgary – a qualifier for the CAN/USA Team Matches at ASU Karsten Golf Club in Tempe, AZ, this December, and the final event is the 54-hole MJT-Alberta PGA Junior Championship presented by 1st Choice Savings at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort on August 13th, 14th and 15th – a qualifier for the China Junior Open. For more information or to register, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

About the MJT
The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) is presented by Boston Pizza, and is Canada's premier and only national junior golf tour run exclusively by Golf Professionals. The MJT is proud to play a role in developing young players, including several Canadian National Champions and many Future Links and Provincial Champions. The MJT also provides opportunities for young Canadians to learn how to golf and introduces players as young as four years old to the game via free instructional clinics. In addition, the MJT encourages young players to further their education with scholarship awards. For more information, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-GOLF. MJT - developing champions, in golf, in life.

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