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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

June 18-19, 2005
Tuxedo GC • Winnipeg, MB

For Immediate Release ? June 21, 2005

FIVE-UNDER-PAR FINAL ROUND FINISHES TEAM TO SCOTLAND ON MAPLE LEAF JUNIOR GOLF TOUR

WINNIPEG, MB ? The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) recently completed its Manitoba season-opener at Tuxedo Golf Club in Winnipeg for berths on teams to two major international tournaments ? one in Scotland and one in Mexico.

The two-day tournament was one of four tournaments held across the country this past weekend as part of the Boston Pizza-sponsored MJT's seventh season, providing hundreds of junior golfers an opportunity to experience good competition in Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Later this year, tournaments will also be held in Saskatchewan, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

The MJT Tuxedo Junior Open, which was run by MJT Tournament Directors and PGA Professionals Garth Goodbrandson and Ed Boge, offered qualifying spots for the Maple Leaf Teams to both the 4th annual International Junior Golf Team Matches in Cuernavaca, Mexico, August 8-12, and the Kingdom of Fife Junior Team Matches in Scotland, August 21-25. Derek Ingram, who also helps direct the MJT program in Manitoba, was in Japan for the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup as Team Canada Coach.

Andrew Gaudry, 18, of Winnipeg, blitzed the Tuxedo course with a scorching five-under-par 65 final round to come from behind and win the Boys 17 and up division and a berth on the team to Scotland.

?I didn?t give up ? I shot 78 the first round but I pulled it together today to shoot 65,? said Gaudry, who plays out of Niakwa Golf Club. ?I didn?t really think about any other players in contention because after the first round I wasn?t even close to the leading score. Then I watched the leader miss his par putt in the last hole and I knew I had won. It means a lot to me to have won this event.?

Eric Johnson, 18, of Winnipeg, shot 74-71 (145) to finish second in the division, edging third place finisher Jesse Skelton, 17, of St. Francois-Xavier, by one stroke. Skelton shot 75-71 (146).

Johnson?s score of 145 tied with the top three finishers in the Boys 14-16 division - Matt Loewen, 16, of Winkler, Derek East, 15, of Winnipeg, and Spencer Harris, 16, of Winnipeg - for second low overall. To decide who would take the spot to Mexico, as well as who took the division trophy, an exciting four-way playoff was held.

Harris triumphed on the first playoff hole, draining a 30-foot putt for a birdie win. ?I am glad that my dad got to see me win on Father?s Day,? he said. Harris added that he had got off to a good start on the first day shooting 71 and holding the lead. ?My strategy was to make a lot of birdies and pull away from the rest of the field, however the putts wouldn?t fall and I just had to stay in it. I heard that other players were playing well and coming in with low numbers ? I was just trying to keep myself in the thick of things.?

Top finishers Gaudry and Harris will form part of the eight member Maple Leaf Teams to Scotland and Mexico respectively. The rest of the two teams have qualified at other MJT tournaments across the country.

Winnipeggers dominated in the Boys 13 and under division, where Steve Minion, 13, held onto his first round lead and won the title with scores of 82-75 (157). Runner-up was Taylor Reilly, 13, who shot 86-76 (162), followed by Joey Ftoma, 13, who took third place with scores of 89-80 (169).

Division winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were J.D. Cressall, 13, of Winnipeg, Burke Nagle, 16, of Winnipeg, and Eric Johnson.

The Sundog Eyewear Closest-to-the-Pin Competition division winners were Taylor Reilly, Spencer Harris and Joey Ringaert, 18, of Winnipeg.

The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour is Canada?s only major junior tour run exclusively by Canadian PGA Professionals and endorsed by PGA Tour veterans Dave Barr and Ray Stewart. Some of the country?s top juniors have taken part in the MJT, such as Inah Park, the reigning Canadian Junior Girls? Champion, and all four members of Team Canada, namely Darren Wallace, Rafael Lee, Richard Lee and Adam Hadwin.

The next local tournament is the MJT at St. Boniface and Breezy Bend Golf Clubs in Winnipeg,
July 10-11. For more information or to register, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-GOLF.

For more information , contact:
Elaine Denton, Marketing & PR
Tel: 604-943-1645
Email: edenton@maplejt.com