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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 3-4, 2010
South Surrey, BC

For Immediate Release

KWON KING OF CATTERMOLE GROUP CLASSIC

South Surrey, BC – (April 5, 2010) – The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) opened its 12th season of over 50 events across Canada with the two-day Cattermole Group Classic at Morgan Creek Golf Club in South Surrey, BC, over the Easter weekend. A packed field of 78 young golfers turned out to compete in four divisions, with three exemptions up for grabs: one into the Future Collegiate World Tour (FCWT) National Championship in Florida, USA, and two into the Faldo Series U.K. Championship at Trentham, England .

Despite cold, windy weather which made for tough playing conditions, MJT veteran Kevin Kwon, 14, of Pitt Meadows and a previous MJT Cleveland Golf Player of the Year winner, was king of the Cattermole Group Classic, shooting 73-73 (146) to win low overall and the Boys 14-16 title. Kwon is continuing his stellar play as a 14 year old after dominating the 13 and under division over the past few years. Tied for second place in the 14-16 group at 153 total score were Callum Robinson, 15, of Langley (75-78) and Sunny Li, 15, of Surrey (73-80). Both Kwon and Robinson (based on retrogression) qualify for the Faldo Series U.K. spots and receive $1,000 each towards their expenses of participation.

A paid entry into the FCWT National Championship in Florida was won by Jamie Oleksiew, 15, of South Surrey, who edged first-round leader Alix Kong, 13, of West Vancouver, to win the Girls division (76-74=150). “I feel great because the last time I played this course I did not have a very good experience,” she said. “My goals were to keep my ball in the fairway as much as possible as well as to keep fighting till the end.” Kong shot 70-81 for a total of 151. Ally Shin, 13, of Coquitlam, fired 80-75 to tie with Keanna Mason, 13, of Maple Ridge (78-77) for third place among the Girls group at 155 total score.

Mike Belle, 17, of Burnaby held onto his lead to win by one stroke with scores of 75-82 (157) in Boys 17-19. “The course conditions were great considering the weather the past few days,” he summarized. “My key to winning was putting the first day and driving the final day. It feels great to win my division especially as it was the first tournament of the year. My goals this season are to contend in every single tournament.” Runner-up to Belle was Colin Hargrove, 17, of Surrey, who carded rounds of 77-81 (158). There was a four-way tie for third place in this tightly contested division at 161 total score between Michael Wawryk, 19, of Tsawwassen (84-77), Ryan Grill, 17, of Abbotsford (78-83), Kyle Code, 17, of Mercer Island, WA, and Calum Miller, 18, of Grande Prairie, AB.

There was a tie for the lead at 166 in Boys 13 and under, with the champion’s medal ending up with newcomer Alex Chen, 13, of Richmond, based on retrogression. Chen, playing his first MJT event, shot 81-85, while Ian Kim, 13, of South Surrey, shot 80-86. Chen stated that he was lucky to get the first place prize and that his goal this season is to break his best score and keep in condition. Cole Briggs, 13, of Langley, (85-87) and Logan Yanick, 13, of Courtenay (84-88) tied for third place in the group at 172 total score.

The divisional winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Tae-In Lee of Maple Ridge, Jordan Lewang of Langley, and Jamie Oleksiew. The Sundog Skills competition divisional winners were Logan Yanick of Courtenay, Wyatt Racette of Burnaby, Brad Wahler of Abbotsford and Ally Shin.

Kikkor Golf’s James Lepp, one of Canada’s top golfers including four BC Amateur Championships and two Canadian Tour wins, was on-site to provide tips to juniors and award prizes.

The MJT continues its British Columbia schedule next weekend on April 10th and 11th at Mayfair Lakes Golf Club in Richmond. 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 Canadian PGA Professionals. The organization hosts more than 50 events across Canada and also qualifies players for spots to international events in England, Australia, Thailand and many cities in the USA. The MJT offers annual awards, scholarships, and frequent player incentives to help reward player's performance and participation throughout each season. MJT alumni include PGA tour player Chris Baryla, players on the Nationwide and Canadian Tours, several Canadian National Junior Champions and many Future Links and Provincial Junior Champions.

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