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Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA Professionals

Press Release

July 25-27, 2011
Cloverdale (Surrey), BC

Baek, Robinson, Lee and He crowned MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Champions

For Immediate Release - Cloverdale, BC – (July 28, 2011) –
Almost 90 junior golfers displayed their talents on July 25th-27th in the largest Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event of the year in the province - the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship at Northview Golf and Country Club in Cloverdale.

With the support of Odlum Brown Limited and the PGA of BC, the MJT staged this 54-hole event on two championship golf courses, the Canal, and then the Ridge, which was played by those who made the cut after two days. The tournament was also endorsed by Golf British Columbia with exemptions into the 2012 provincial championships going to each age division winner. In addition, the low overall champion qualifies for the San Diego Junior Amateur.

This spot went to Oscar Baek, 15, of Coquitlam, BC, who finished low overall and was crowned the Boy’s 14-16 Division Champion after holding the lead all three days, finishing with a three under par 69 on the final day to seal his victory (70+72+69=211). “The course and conditions were awesome, and it feels great to win three in a row,” said Baek, who was MJT-PGA of BC Junior Boys Champion in his respective age division in both 2009 and 2010 as well. Second place in Boys 14-16 went to Jun Kang, 15, of Port Moody, BC, who scored three solid rounds to finish one stroke ahead of a tie for third (73+72+75=220), while the two players tied for third at 221 were Marcus Brown, 15, of Surrey, BC (76+74+71=221) and Jared du Toit, 16, of Kimberley, BC (72+74+75=221).

In the Girl’s division it was once again 12 year old Lily He who found her way to the top of the leaderboard. Thanks to a brilliant second round 69, He grabbed the lead and closed with a final round even par 72 to be crowned MJT Odlum Brown-PGA of BC Junior Girls Champion in style (77+69+72=218). He, of Pitt Meadows, BC, commented on the key to winning, “It was confidence and never giving up. I feel proud and happy.” Runner-up for the division was Langley’s Katherine Zhu, 15, who displayed a solid performance on the Canal Course but struggled to find the same scoring on the Ridge (74+73+82=229). The story was the same for third place finisher Annie Yang, 16, of Delta, BC, who did, however, snag the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition, (74+76+82=232).

The Boy’s 17-19 Division witnessed the lowest score of the tournament with a five under par 67 opening round for eventual winner, Callum Robinson, of Langley, BC. Robinson, 17, held the lead for all three days (67+73+76=216) despite a strong charge from behind by Trevor Garofano. Robinson rated the course and conditions as “mint” and when asked how he felt about winning the champion’s title, said, “Like a boss. Also I’m proud to bring home a trophy to Hazelmere (golf club).” Garofano, 17, of Coquitlam, got off to a slow start but came back with two sub-par rounds (77+71+70=218). Also with a solid finish to snag third place was Tae-In Lee, 18, of Maple Ridge, BC (75+78+71=224).

The strong play and low scores continued in the Boy’s 13 and under division with eventual Champion, Henry Lee, coming in at even par for three days. Lee, 13, of Coquitlam, played a great tournament with few mistakes and finished with a five stroke victory (72+71+73=216), attributing his success to putting. For the runner-up, Roy Kang, 12, of North Vancouver, BC, it was only his final round that held him back from a very close race with Lee. The long hitting Kang captured the Mr. Lube Long Drive in the second round and would enter the final day at the Ridge Course tied with Lee, however would come up just short (72+71+78=221). In third place was 12 year old Jae Wook Lee, of Langley (76+75+73=224).

The Mr. Lube Long Drive contest was on hole number 12 of the Canal Course on day two, where the other winners were Colin Wang (Shaughnessy Golf Club) and Robbie Woods (Q Golf Club). The Sundog Eyewear Closest to the Pin Contest on the difficult par three 17th on the Canal course had Taylor Patrick (Morgan Creek Golf Club), Colton Share (Okanagan Golf Club), Ryan Saran (Hazelmere Golf Club) and Chloe Wong (Marine Drive Golf Club) taking the prizes. For the best second round improvement, which also helped them make the cut in this event, the Golf Town Comeback Award winners were James Kim (Vancouver, BC), Nicholas Belle (Vancouver Golf Club), Taylor Seidel (Delta Golf Club) and Hannah Lee (Surrey Golf Club).

The Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour heads back to the beautiful Okanagan for the MJT Okanagan Junior Championship at Predator Ridge Golf Resort, Vernon, on August 8-9. This event is a qualifier for the Golfweek Championship at McCormick Ranch this December in Scottsdale, Arizona, a highly anticipated and scouted tournament. Registration is still open and spots are limited. 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.

About Odlum Brown Limited: Odlum Brown Limited is an independent, BC-based, full-service investment firm providing disciplined investment advice and objective research with a singular focus on clients. Established in 1923, the firm offers a full range of investment products including equities, fixed income, mutual funds and GIC’s; and financial, retirement and estate planning through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Odlum Brown Financial Services Limited. For more information visit www.OdlumBrown.com Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund.

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