Press Release - BC PGA Junior Championship presented by MAZDA - July 28-30, 2004

July 28-30, 2004
Northview G&CC, Cloverdale, BC

For Immediate Release ? July 30, 2004

GREAT SCORES AT 3RD ANNUAL BC PGA JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
AT NORTHVIEW G&CC IN CLOVERDALE

CLOVERDALE, B.C. ? Great scores highlighted the third annual BC Professional Golfers? Association Junior Championship presented by Mazda at Northview Golf Club in Cloverdale this past week. The 54 hole championship is part of the six-event Mazda-sponsored Canadian PGA Junior Championship series run by the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, and is Golfweek/Sagarin-ranked.

The first two rounds for the 120 competitors from three different provinces were played on Northview?s Canal course, with the third and final round for the players who made the cut hosted by the Ridge Course, a former PGA Tour site.

The overall BC PGA Junior Champion vase was once again awarded to 18-year-old Jacob Hunt from Mission, who also captured the Boys 17 and up Champion?s trophy with his outstanding scores of 70-69-70 for a seven-under-par total score of 209.

?Well, this is the second year in a row that I have won this tournament,? said Hunt, ?and it feels better than the first time because I know that I can play good golf and beat good players and it shows that the first time wasn?t luck.?

Hunt rated the two courses at Northview in perfect condition. ?I really enjoyed playing them the past three days,? he said, adding, ?my ball striking was really good and my putting was awesome. I didn?t make a three-putt all week.?

Runner up in the Boys 17 and up division was Dong Kyu Kim from Langley (71-72-74=217). One stroke back in third place was first round co-leader Brook Scott from Coquitlam (70-71-77=218), who was followed by Cole Roblin from Winnipeg, MB, in fourth place (74-73-73=220).

The BC PGA Junior Boys 14-16 Champion was Joon Heui Lee from Surrey, who shot rounds of 72-69-75 for an even par total score of 216. Lee, who recently qualified through the Maple Leaf Junior Tour for the International Junior Masters in New York, attributed his win to help with his swing from his coach, and rated the course ?very tough, good,? adding, ?it feels really good to win.?

Three strokes back of Lee was Ren Han from Richmond (75-73-71=219), followed by Dong Su (77-72-72=221), also from Richmond, in third place. Fourth spot went to Mike Lepp from Abbotsford (76-74-72=222)

In the younger boys division, Jonnie Motomochi from White Rock claimed the BC PGA Junior Boys 13 and under Championship title with his excellent scores of 72-69-71 for a four-under-par total of 212.

?There were different reasons for my win,? he said. ?The first day was my putting, the second day it was ball striking, and the last day it was the last 11 holes.? Motomochi went on to say that the course was in great shape - ?Everything was just awesome. It obviously feels good to win, especially the BC PGA tournament, and at Northview ? it feels even better.?

In second place was Riley Wheeldon from Comox (76-70-77=223), followed by Morgan Leigh from Surrey in third place (76-76-74=226) and Conrado Paderes from Vancouver in fourth (76-72-82=230).

MJT veteran and college-player Inah Park from Burnaby easily outstripped the rest of the Girls field and was crowned the BC PGA Junior Girls Champion after posting three solid rounds of 74-70-74=218.

?Lots of hard practice and patience through rough holes helped me,? said Park, who felt that the Northview courses are two of the top ones in the Lower Mainland.

In second place was 13-year-old Sue Kim from Langley (80-75-76=231), followed by Samantha Prest from Vancouver in third (78-79-77=234) and Pamela Burneski from Surrey in fourth (80-79-82=236).

Division winners of the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition at the event were Motomochi, Su, Andrew Mouangsouvanh (Abbotsford) and Melissa Mabanta (Langley).

The Sundog Closest-to-the-Pin Competition winners were Brian Cho (Port Moody), Ken Chmela (Penticton), Fraser McGlenen (West Vancouver) and Jisoo Keel (Coquitlam).

The non-profit Boston Pizza-sponsored Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, formerly the Western Canada Junior Tour, hosts tournaments for boys and girls aged 10 to 23 in four age divisions and is endorsed by PGA Tour veterans Dave Barr and Ray Stewart. It is the only major junior tour in Canada run exclusively by Canadian PGA Professionals. The final regular season MJT event in BC, which is also Golfweek/Sagarin-ranked, is the MJT Okanagan Junior Championship in Kelowna, August 8-10. Entries are still open for this field.

For more information, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-GOLF