Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour
The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA ProfessionalsPress Release
June 12-13, 2010
Winkler, MB
For Immediate Release
Mazur takes low overall
Winkler, MB – (June 14, 2010) – The second stop in Manitoba on the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) successfully concluded the final round on Sunday June 13th at Winkler Golf Club in Winkler, and “what a tournament!” summed up Tournament Director and Canadian PGA Professional, Ed Boge.
“The weather held up for the first day so we could play and then on the second day the sun smiled and gave us a fantastic day of golf,” he added. “The Winkler Golf course was amazing to the MJT with their hospitality and also had the course in great shape. Big thanks to Winkler.”
Scott Mazur, 17, of Winnipeg, was the overall winner by three shots and also winner of his own division of Boys 17-19. Mazur, who fired rounds of 72-71 (143) and continued his winning ways as a multiple champion on the MJT over the years, earns a paid entry into a Future Collegiate World Tour (FCWT) event in the USA. “I was trying to keep making pars and not make any mistakes,” said Mazur, about his thoughts when coming down the stretch. “It feels good to win and come from behind after the first round.” Kevin Hicks, 18, also of Winnipeg, and Matt Dodds, 18, of Brunkild, battled hard but fell short, tying each other for second place at 146 total score with rounds of 71-75 and 76-70 respectively.
The 14-16 age group went to an exciting playoff with Erik Christianson, 16, of Winnipeg, winning on the second playoff hole against Darren Kelpin, 15, of Stony Mountain. Both had tied for the lead at 148 total score after Christianson fired 74-74 and Kelpin, 78-70. First round leader, Noel Ngo, 15, of Selkirk, was only one shot back and had to settle for third place (72-77=149). “This is Erik’s first win on the MJT and he was thrilled, especially as Darren is a solid player who is no stranger to playing competitive golf at high levels,” said Boge.
“The highlight for me was making birdie on the final hole to force a playoff,” said Christianson. “When I found out that Darren had shot 70, I figured I needed to play the next few holes under par. Noel (Ngo) was three up on me on the front nine. I pulled it back to even after the front and after that it was close. It feels great to get my first win, especially in a playoff.”
Boys 13 and Under also went to a playoff with 11-year-old Landon Stellingwerff, from Calgary, Alberta, winning on the second playoff hole against MJT newcomer Stacy Genaille, 13, of Pelican Rapids. Stellingwerff shot 78-82 (160) to tie for the lead with first-round leader Genaille (75-85=160). “Both kids played awesome golf over the two days and then carried that through to their playoff - way to go boys,” stated Boge. Stellingwerff added, “It feels good (to win) and I won it in a playoff.”
Brendan Kesterke, just 10 years old, of Headingley, captured third with steady rounds of 83-81 (164).
Winnie Hyun, 15, of Winnipeg, was thrilled to break 80 after shooting solid rounds of 81-79 (160) in the Girls division.
The divisional winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Scott Lemon, 13, of Winnipeg, Zac Klassen, 15, of Winkler, and Jordy Lutz, 19, of Winnipeg. Lutz also won his division’s Sundog Skills competition; the other divisional winners were Josh Neufeld, 13, of Altona, and Mitch Toews, 16, of Winkler. New to the prize table are the Golf Town Comeback Awards, which went to Jordan Sinclair, 17, of Fort Frances, Darren Kelpin and Braxton Shuvera, 12, of Headingley.
The Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour continues its Manitoba schedule on July 7th and 8th at Carman Golf Club in Carman, a qualifier for the Texas Junior Golf Tour’s Barton Creek Holiday Classic in Texas, USA. 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