Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

May 8-9, 2010
Medicine Hat, AB

For Immediate Release

DURBENIUK WINS MJT SPOT TO AUSTRALIA AT DESERT BLUME

Medicine Hat, AB – (May 10, 2010) – The brutal weather in southern Alberta continued to threaten rain and snow over the mother’s day weekend in Medicine Hat, where players in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s (MJT) two-day stop at Desert Blume Golf Course battled through despite the course being covered in snow the Wednesday prior to the tournament.

Completely different weather ‘down under’ in Australia will soon face Christopher Durbeniuk, 18, of Calgary, who qualified for MJT Team Canada to the Srixon International Junior Classic in New South Wales this October after winning the Boys 17-19 division and low overall, based on retrogression.

Durbeniuk, who had stayed on the range in poor weather trying to correct his swing for nearly two hours after the first round, pulled through even after missing a four-footer on 18 to shoot 71-76 (147), tying for the overall lead with Matt Whittaker. “It was pretty tough – windy,” said Durbeniuk, “but the course was in good shape and even though I was four down after nine I just stuck with it on the back. It feels pretty awesome (to win) – I thought Matt was going to chip in on 18 to win.” Whittaker, 18, of Lethbridge, bogeyed 18 after hitting into the hazard to shoot 70-77 and tie it up, however he is not eligible for the Australian event as he will be 19 at the time. Three strokes back in third place was Jason Fritz, 17, of Lethbridge, who improved by ten strokes in his final round to shoot 80-70 (150).

MJT veteran Austin Laidlaw, 16, of Lethbridge, fired solid rounds of 72–77 (149) to win the Boys 14-16 gold medal by four strokes, a great improvement on his previous finishes this season. Greg Billingsley, 15, of Calgary, carded 78–75 (153) to take silver, while Brett Hogan, 16, of Calgary, took bronze (78–76=154).


Local Becky Martin, 16, enjoyed her hometown advantage and sailed to her first victory this season after a third and second place finish at the previous two MJT events. Martin, who shot 74-79 (153) was trying out a new Cleveland DST driver over the weekend and many were impressed with how far and straight she was hitting it. “Key to my victory was knowing where the bailouts were – I knew where to miss it,” she said. “It feels great – it’s my first win this year and in my home town.” Runner-up was Sydney MacDonald, 16, of Calgary, who also improved by ten strokes during the competition to shoot 85-75 (160). The bronze medal was claimed by Mieke Heyns, 17, of Lethbridge, who posted back-to-back rounds of 82 for a 164 total score.

In the Boys 13 and under division, Nathan Corrin, 13, of Moose Jaw, SK, made an up-and-down from a tough lie on 18 to beat Medicine Hat’s Nolan Mastel by a shot after Mastel had sunk a 10-footer to force Corrin to make his putt. Corrin carded 75-81 (156) while Mastel, 13, carded 80-77 (157). “I knew the snow would melt and we would play,” said a positive Corrin. “It feels good to win - I am just trying to get back to the National Tour Championship.” Alex Corrigan, 13, of Calgary, placed third with scores of 90-93 (183).

Both Becky Martin and Nathan Corrin cleaned up in their respective divisions by also winning the Mr. Lube Long Drive and Sundog Closest-to-the-Pin Competitions. The other Long Drive winners were Landon Sjogren, 16, of Nanton and Ryan Werre, 18, of Redcliff; Rylan Visser, 16, of Lethbridge and Will Wood, 18, of Medicine Hat, won their division’s Sundog Closest-to-the-Pin Competitions.

The MJT continues its Alberta schedule on May 22nd and 23rd with the Golf Canada-ranked Brandt Levers Memorial at Lacombe Golf Club in Lacombe, a qualifier for an open invite to a Future Collegiate World Tour (FCWT) event in the USA, and for spots in the Pepsi Little People’s World Golf Championship in Illinois. For more information, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

About the MJT
The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour presented by Boston Pizza is Canada’s premier and only national junior tour run exclusively by Canadian PGA Professionals. The organization hosts more than 50 events across Canada and also qualifies players for spots to international events in England, Australia, Thailand and many cities in the USA. The MJT offers annual awards, scholarships, and frequent player incentives to help reward player's performance and participation throughout each season. MJT alumni include PGA tour player Chris Baryla, players on the Nationwide and Canadian Tours, several Canadian National Junior Champions and many Future Links and Provincial Junior Champions.

Contact: Elaine Denton, Marketing & PR, MJT T: 1-877-943-1645 Email: edenton@maplejt.com