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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

April 19-20, 2008
Langley, BC

For Immediate Release — April 21, 2008

T.J. McColl New York Bound After MJT`s HSBC Bank Canada Classic

LANGLEY, B.C. – A full field of junior golfers withstood the unseasonally cold weather during the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s (MJT) two-day tournament sponsored by HSBC Bank Canada at Redwoods Golf Course in Langley this past weekend, competing for exemptions in certain age divisions into the 56th East Aurora International Junior Masters in New York, USA, and the CKG Tour World Championship in South Carolina, USA.

Competition was tough but 16 year-old T.J. McColl of Surrey pulled through and qualified among boys aged 14 to 17 for the exemption into the 56th East Aurora International Junior Masters in East Aurora, New York, this June, after winning the MJT’s Boys 14-16 division title by four strokes. “After the first day I was worried when I saw Pureum Lee beating me by two shots, however once I began play, I just tried to shoot the lowest score possible,” said McColl, who shot 77-75 (152). “The main reasons for my victory was a solid short game during the first round and a hot putter in the second.” Six players were right behind McColl, with a three-way tie for second place at 156 total score between Mike Belle, 15, of Burnaby, Sean Ko, 16, of West Vancouver, and Pureum Lee, 16, of North Vancouver, while Johan Vora of Delta and the Osborne twins from Comox - Mackenzie and Graham - all tied for fifth spot at 157.

Kevin Lee, 13, of Surrey, posted the low overall score for the field on his home course after firing 74-71 (145) from the white tees, running away with the Boys 13 and under division title and qualifying for the CKG Tour World Championship in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this August. Second place in this division went to Kevin Kwon, 12, of Coquitlam, who shot 76-78 (154), while Lucas Gatto, 13, of Burnaby, came in third with scores of 87-75 (162). As qualifying continues for various age categories in the CKG Tour World Championship, more finalists for exemptions will be shortlisted from both this tournament and others on the MJT schedule.

Ryan Brooks, 20, of Pitt Meadows, shot 77-72 (149) and claimed his second MJT Boys 17 and up division title based on retrogression after tying for the lead with Jeff Wright, 20, of Mission (75-74). John Koo, 18, of Langley, took third place in this division after being one of only two players in the field to shoot even par on day two (80-71=151).

Soo Bin Kim, 14, of Port Coquitlam, continued her winning streak in the Girls division, firing 79-72 (151) to beat runner-up Jisoo Keel, 12, of Coquitlam, by five strokes. Brooklyn Kraakman, 13, of Deroche, shot 78-81 (159) to finish third.

The divisional winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Richard Zhang of Richmond, BC, Ryan Grill of Abbotsford, BC, Tony Elliott of Coquitlam and Soo Bin Kim. Sundog Skills competition divisional winners were Shane Barill of North Vancouver, Harrison Clegg of Langley, Ryan Brooks and Alice Nakamura of Maple Ridge.

The MJT continues its British Columbia schedule on May 10th and 11th at Surrey’s Hazelmere Golf Club with another HSBC Bank Canada Classic – this event is a double qualifier for MJT Team Canada to the International Junior Golf Invitational in Mexico and the Scotland Kingdom of Fife Junior Team Matches in St. Andrews, U.K. For more information or to register, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

About the MJT
The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) is presented nationally by Boston Pizza and is Canada's premier and only junior golf tour run exclusively by Golf Professionals. The MJT is proud to play a role in developing young players, including several Canadian National Champions and many Future Links and Provincial Champions. The MJT also provides opportunities for young Canadians to learn how to golf and introduces players as young as four years old to the game via free instructional clinics. In addition, the MJT encourages young players to further their education with scholarship awards. For more information, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-GOLF.

About HSBC Bank Canada
HSBC Bank Canada, a subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc, has more than 170 offices and is the leading international bank in Canada. With around 10,000 offices in 83 countries and territories and assets of US$2,150 billion at 30 June 2007, the HSBC Group is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations. For more information, please visit www.hsbc.ca.

Contacts:
Elaine Denton
Marketing & PR, MJT
T: 1-877-943-1645
Email: edenton@maplejt.com

Ernest Yee
Assistant Vice President, Public Affairs
HSBC Bank Canada
Tel: (604) 641-2973