Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 9-10, 2012
Victoria, BC

Victoria’s Rowe to Victory at MJT’s Vancouver Island Stop

Victoria, BC – (June 11, 2012) – Despite “insufferable winds” on day one, according to Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) tournament director Neil Bidewell, junior golfers battled it out on Vancouver Island this past weekend at the fabulous Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria, BC, competing for medals in four divisions as well as a spot into the Future Champions Golf World Championship in La Quinta, CA, USA, this July.

Lawren Rowe, 15, of Victoria, tied the low round of the tournament on his second day to claim the MJT Boys 14-16 gold medal and Low Overall Honours with his scores of 77-71 (148). “The course played very difficult and the conditions were excellent,” said Rowe, “I just tried to get my ball in the fairway and play conservatively.” Finishing second behind Rowe was Colton Dorion, 16, of Surrey, BC, with rounds of 77-79, followed by Nick Krystal, 16, of Port Moody, BC, who carded 81-77 to claim bronze.

In the Boys 17-19 Division, long time MJT player Alex Cartwright was low with rounds of 78-75 to claim the gold medal and edge out Johnathon Sipos, 17, of Victoria, who carded 79-76. Cartwright, 18, who recently moved to Victoria from Canmore, Alberta, is the eligible qualifier for the spot into the Future Champions Golf World Championship and said he “grinded it out and managed to sink a lot of clutch five footers to save me.” Finishing third just three shots behind Sipos was Victoria’s Brady Walsh, 18, who played solidly with rounds of 82-76.

13-year-old Tristan Mandur of Mill Bay, BC, shot a brilliant opening round of 71 in high winds and held on in day two to win the MJT Boys 13 and Under gold medal in convincing style (71-77). “I really wanted to play it safe and don’t take any chances. It feels awesome to win my division!” said Mandur of his victory. Silver medallist was Keaton Gudz, 13, of Victoria, who carded solid rounds of 75-79, with bronze going to Andrew Spalti, 12, of Vancouver, BC, who shot 83-77.

Janet Zhang, 14, of Richmond, BC, fired rounds of 76-90 to win the Girls Division by three strokes over 17-year old Allison Lee of Victoria, who carded 80-89. “I am going to take this win and everything that I learned from playing this course,” stated Zhang. “It was a very tough course and I feel I could have played much closer to my ability.” Julie Lym, 17, of Vancouver, placed third place with rounds of 90-81.

Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition Awards went to Tristan Mandur, Jordan Morford of Abbotsford, BC, Jacob Vanderpas of Vancouver, and Janet Zhang, while Sundog Closest-to-the-Pin Awards were taken home by Ryan Watt of Vancouver, Andrew Funk of Sidney, BC, Alex Cartwright and Julie Lym. Golf Town Comeback Awards were won by Ryan Watt of Vancouver (17 shot improvement), Jesse Reichelt of Langley, BC (16 shot improvement), Andrew Funk and Julie Lym.

The MJT British Columbia schedule continues in Cloverdale with the MJT Odlum Brown – PGA of BC Junior Championship at Northview Golf and Country Club from July 3-5, 2012, a Golf Canada-ranked event on the CN Future Links Order of Merit, which is also a qualifying event for MJT Team Canada to the Srixon International Junior Classic in New South Wales, Australia, this October. 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 PGA of Canada 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.

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