Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 12-13, 2010
Listowel, ON

For Immediate Release

TRUMAN TAI TOPS FIELD AT MJT’S LISTOWEL STOP

Listowel, ON – (June 14, 2010) – Canada’s junior golf scene is in decent shape by the looks of things at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s (MJT) June 12th and 13th stop at Listowel Golf Club in Listowel, site of the upcoming Ontario Junior Provincial Championship.

MJT veteran, Truman Tai, 16, of Markham, topped the field with fine rounds of 74-70 (144) to win low overall and the Boys 14-16 gold medal by three strokes over Sean Carlino, 16, of Hamilton (76-71=147). “The course was in pretty good shape considering the amount of rain there was,” said Tai, who qualified for a paid entry into a Future Collegiate World Tour (FCWT) event in the USA. “It feels good to win on this course, since the Ontario Juniors will be here later, but is also good to know that I can play well in the lead under pressure. My main goals (this season) are to make the Canadian Juniors and lower my handicap by two.” Third place in the Boys 14-16 division went to MJT newcomer, Amin Ashkar, 16, of Guelph, who shot solid scores of 73-75 (148).

Jason Watchorn, 18, of Waterloo, won the Boys 17-19 gold medal after firing 74-73 (147), beating out Taylor Prilisauer, 18, of Cambridge, who shot 77-72 (149) to take silver. “Listowel has a good layout with lots of chances to make birdies which is nice, even though there were wet conditions from the rain,” Watchorn stated. “I feel very relieved (to win). My group was playing well and put pressure on me early; to come back felt very rewarding. My goals are to improve in tournament play, trust my game, and always try to keep improving.” Declan Kaster, 18, of Ayr, carded 78-72 (150) to take the bronze medal.

In the closely contested Boys 13 and under division, Conner Watt, 13, of Mississauga, and Alex Stec, 13, of Keswick, tied for the lead at 158 total score, after firing rounds of 78-80 and 83-75 respectively, with the gold medal awarded to Watt based on retrogression. “I feel great,” he said about his first win on the MJT. “My goal is not to finish outside the top three in any event.”

Rachel Pollock, 15, of Guelph, cruised to victory in the Girls division with solid rounds of 82-76 (158). “The course was beautiful to play. Everyone played well considering the conditions,” she summed up. The silver medal went to Kirsten Degutis, 16, of Waterloo, who shot back-to-back rounds of 84 for a 168 total score, while Monica Gabriele, 14, of Mississauga, took the bronze (92-87=179).

The divisional winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Stefureak, Watchorn, Emerson Bianchi, 16, of Woodbridge, and Kelsey Studiman, 16, of Cambridge. The Sundog Skills competition divisional winners were Watt, Degutis, Keaton Jones, 14, of Kitchener, and Brandon Van Bilsen, 17, of Brights Grove. A special new category of Golf Town ‘Comeback Award’ winners included Alex Stec, Rachel Pollock, Matthew Chiasson, 16, of Cambridge, and Brett Kennedy, 17, of Kitchener.

Every MJT tournament in 2010 on the Boston Pizza-presented MJT in Ontario runs on a weekend and the next stop is June 26-27 at Paris Grand Golf Club in Paris, a major qualifier for the Srixon International Junior Classic in Australia. 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