Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

March 24-25, 2011
Richmond, BC

For Immediate Release

MJT SEASON OPENER SEES COURSE RECORD AT Q GOLF CLUB

Richmond, BC – (March 25, 2011) – The Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), Canada’s only national tour run exclusively by Canadian PGA Professionals and the ‘Road to College Golf’ for aspiring young players, teed off its 13th season of over 60 events across Canada with a two-day stop at the newly re-named Q Golf Club (formerly Quilchena) in Richmond, BC, on March 24-25.

Juniors competed in four age groups for division titles plus the chance to win exemptions for international competitions: one into the Future Collegiate World Tour (FCWT) National Championship in Florida, USA, and another into a PGA Junior Series stop in the USA.

Six-year-MJT veteran, 2007 MJT Cleveland Golf Player of the Year and 2008 Canadian Junior Girls Champion, Soo Bin Kim, 17, of Coquitlam, BC, showed her championship form after blasting a 6-under-par round of 67 today to claim the ladies course record at Q Golf Club in addition to another MJT division title with her two-day total of 145 (-1). Kim’s final round scorecard consisted of five birdies on the front nine. “It always feels great to play MJT,” she stated, after making a clean sweep of her division’s Mr. Lube Long Drive and Sundog Closest-to-the-Pin (KP) competitions to boot. “I’m leaving to university in August but hopefully I get to play more before because you guys rock! I had such a great time the last two days and thank you, all the helpers, for coming out.”

A seven year MJT veteran, Alix Kong, 14, of Vancouver, BC, carded 77-71=148 (+2), winning not only an Odyssey putter for second place in the Girls division but also a Callaway Diablo Driver in the random draw for all the players at the end of the tournament! Third place went to Grace Chua, 14, of White Rock, BC, who shot back-to-back rounds of 75 (150) on the challenging Q Golf Club course, site of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship this July.
Howard Lee, 16, of Port Coquitlam, BC, bested the Boys 14-16 division by six shots after posting 78-69 (147) to claim his first career MJT win and the paid entry into the FCWT National Championship. “Since this is my first win it means a lot to me,” he said. “Through this experience I will work harder to bring more success.” Tom Bang, 16, of Coquitlam, and Alex Chen, 14, of Richmond, finished within one stroke of each other for second and third place at scores of 76-77 (153) and 77-77 (154) respectively, with Bang also taking the Long Drive prize for the division. Sean Park, 16, also of Coquitlam, won the division’s KP.

Among Boys 17-19, Tae-In Lee, 17, of Maple Ridge, BC, held onto his first round lead to win his division with scores of 75-76 (151), earning a paid exemption into a PGA Junior Series event in the USA. “I only had one double bogey in two rounds,” he said, attributing course management as key to his victory. Runner-up was Jesse Reichelt, 18, of Langley, BC, who shot 77-78 (155) for the two days, while Ryan Grill, 18, of Abbotsford, BC, posted consistent rounds of 81 to place third (162). The Reichelt twins featured again at the prize table with Jesse’s brother, Dylan, winning both the division’s Mr. Lube Long Drive and Sundog KP competitions.

Rios Do, 13, of Vancouver cleaned up in the Boys 13 and under division, winning by five strokes with scores of 82-76 (158) and adding the Long Drive and KP competitions to his successes. “It feels good to win,” he said. “The key was my driver because I hit it straighter.” Fellow Vancouverite James Kim, 13, placed second with scores of 89-74 (163). Third place in the group went to Edward Chen, 13, of Burnaby, who scored 84-86 (170).

James Kim qualified for his division’s Golf Town Comeback Award with his 15 shot improvement from round one to round two, as did John Hari, 14, of Northview Golf Club (11 shot improvement), Shao-yu Chien, 17, of Richmond (17 shots), and Jacklyn Lee, 13, of Calgary, Alberta (18 shots).

The MJT continues its British Columbia schedule next weekend with the Prodigy Series at Morgan Creek Golf Club in South Surrey, April 2nd and 3rd, a qualifier for major international competitions including the Callaway Golf Junior World Championships in California. For more information, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 604-943-1645.
 
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 and the ‘Road to College Golf’ for aspiring young players. The organization hosts more than 60 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for 7-12 year olds, and multi-day events for competitive players which also qualify juniors for international competitions. The MJT offers annual awards, scholarships, and frequent player incentives to help reward player's performance and participation throughout each season. MJT alumni include many Professional Tour players and Canadian PGA Professionals, as well as Canadian Amateur, National and Provincial Junior Champions. The MJT aims to develop champions, in golf and in life, promoting the game from grassroots through to provincial, national, university and professional level. For more information please visit www.maplejt.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: MJT - Elaine Denton - edenton@maplejt.com - 1-877-859-GOLF