Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

May 21-22, 2011
Drayton Valley, AB

Saunders Shines at Drayton Valley; New York Bound

For Immediate Release – Drayton Valley, AB – (May 23, 2011) – The Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), the ‘Road to College Golf’ for aspiring young players in Canada, stopped at the Drayton Valley Golf Club over the May long weekend to rave reviews and fantastic weather. Drayton Valley Golf Club is the site of the 2011 Alberta Junior Boys Championship and a great test of golf, successfully handled by Tyler Saunders, 15, of Sturgeon County, who finished low overall for the tournament, winning the Boys 14-16 Division and a paid entry into the 59th East Aurora International Junior Masters in New York State, June 27-July 1, 2011.

Saunders made everything inside 10 feet en route to a one shot victory in the Boy’s 14-16 division. It was a close finish as Nick Scrymgeour, 15, of Cochrane, and Jesse Teron, 15, of Red Deer, were applying a ton of pressure on Saunders who was up for the task. “It feels great to get a win. The MJT is great tournament experience, with good competition and a lot of fun at every stop,” said Saunders. “I have never won on the MJT before, so it is great! There was a three-way tie for second place in the tightly contested division between Scrymgeour (80-73), Teron (78-75) and Mikkel Holt, 16, of Athabasca (78-75).

In the Boys 17-19 Division, Kieran Standen, 17, of Edmonton (80-75), and Jay Hollingsworth, 17, of Lethbridge (78-77), finished tied for top spot with two day total of 156. Standen claimed the Gold Medal via countback, and said, “It was a great day out there today; we were just trying to prepare for the Alberta Junior Championship in July, which is being held here. I had a great front nine on the second day, which got me back into it.” Finishing in third place and claiming the Bronze Medal was first round leader Kevin Piper, 19, of St. Albert (74-82), who played well all weekend except for taking a 12 on the very difficult par 4 third hole.

In the Boys 13 & Under Division, Brendan Brown, 11, of Calgary, won his fourth tournament in as many starts on the MJT this year as he posted 75-72 to beat Lachlan Spriddle, 13, of Lethbridge, by four shots. Spriddle made the turn at two-under-par, but could not keep the pressure applied as he saw steady golf by Brown hold on. In third place was MJT newcomer Eric Chantler, 12, of Fort McMurray (84-80).

In the Girls Division, three girls finished tied for first place at 149: Carolyn Lee, 16, of Calgary (77-72), her sister Jaclyn, 14, (77-72) and Gina Kowalchuk, 15, of Lethbridge (73-76). Jaclyn Lee claimed top spot and the Gold Medal via countback, with Carolyn taking the Silver Medal and Kowalchuk the Bronze.

Juniors also competed in skills competitions over the weekend earning great prizes and recognition for long drives, closest to the pin and second day ‘comebacks’. In the Mr. Lube Long Drive, winners in various age groups included Brendan Brown, Brandon Hogue of Leduc, Sebastien Rioux of Onoway, and Kat Kennedy of Okotoks. In the Sundog Eyewear Skills Competition the winners were Brendan Brown, Ian Mmbando of Lethbridge, John McKiernan of Calgary, and Gina Kowalchuk. Golf Town Comeback Award winners in each division were Francois van Tonder of Fort McMurray, Brandon Hogue, Sebastien Rioux and Daniela Donnelly of St. Albert.

The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour continues its Alberta schedule with the MJT Mountain View Credit Union Series at Olds Central Highlands Golf Club on June 11-12, a qualifier for the Srixon International Junior Classic presented by the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation in New South Wales, Australia. For full details and online registration, interested juniors can 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 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 7-13 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