Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

May 1-2, 2010
Lethbridge, AB

For Immediate Release

PENNER NEW YORK-BOUND AFTER MJT’S LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE CLASSIC

Lethbridge, AB – (May 3, 2010) – With cold, snowy weather on the Wednesday before the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s (MJT) two-day Lethbridge College Classic presented by 1st Choice Savings at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort in Lethbridge, May 1st and 2nd , it seemed as though the event was in doubt. Mother Nature held true to spring-like conditions, however, and the event went off as planned with the juniors, who were competing for division titles and a spot into the 58th East Aurora International Junior Masters (EAIJM) in New York State, playing alongside College and University players from five institutions who were competing in an unofficial college event.

Tournament Partner Lethbridge College organized the event, inviting Grant MacEwan University, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and Red Deer College to play with the Lethbridge College Kodiaks team and alongside the MJT players, looking to fill their rosters and recruit for the 2011 season. Jace Barros (70-70) of Grant MacEwan University and Ashley Nantes (91-83) of the University of Calgary, both former MJT players now playing for their respective Universities, won their individual titles.

Among the juniors, Mack Penner, 16, of Lethbridge, qualified for the prestigious EAIJM, fashioning scores of 72-74 in windy, blustery and sometime rainy conditions to best the field. Penner hit a lot of good, solid golf shots over the weekend to end up as the overall champion and claim the Boys 14-16 division and gold medal. Penner bested Ian Mmbando, 15, of Lethbridge (76-75) and Matt Williams, 14, of Calgary (73-78), who tied for second place five shots back.

In the Boys 17 -19 division, Evan Cowan, 17, of Coaldale, played consistent golf, scoring 74-74 over the weekend, and claimed gold medal honours together with a $500 Scholarship from Lethbridge College should he choose to attend their institution upon graduation. He finished four shots ahead of silver medalist Jason Fritz, 17, of Lethbridge, who carded rounds of 79-73, while Joe McDonald, 17, also of Lethbridge, was 79-74 to take bronze and round out the top three.

In the Girls Division, Mieke Heyns, 17, of Lethbridge, won the gold medal with rounds of 80-80, edging silver medallist Sydney MacDonald, 16, of Calgary by two shots. Tied for third were last minute entrant Becky Martin, 16, of Medicine Hat (87-82), and Kristen Jensen, 18, of Picture Butte (86-83). Heyns had a great weekend, winning on only her second start on the MJT, and plans to keep working hard this year and play more consistently. One parent commented they were “in awe” at how well the girls were doing, and hopes that the program keeps seeing the heightened number of girls in the events.

In the Boys 13 and under division, Jason Martens, 13, of Edmonton, won his second straight MJT event with strong rounds of 77-77, claiming gold medal honours again. Marten’s was quoted as saying that “I really like the (Paradise Canyon) course, it has been good to me. It’s in really good shape considering the snow they had on Wednesday.” Tied for second place were Nolan Mastel, 13, of Medicine Hat (81-77), and Nathan Corrin, 13, of Moose Jaw, SK (80-78).

The divisional winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Nathan Corrin, Kevin Henderson of Lethbridge, Mitch Taylor of Calgary and Katieleigh Avram of Calgary. The Sundog Skills competition divisional winners were Ryan Rody, Matt Williams, Damion Carrier and Sydney MacDonald – all from Calgary.

The MJT continues its Alberta schedule next weekend on May 8th and 9th at Desert Blume Golf Club in Medicine Hat, a qualifier for the Srixon International Junior Classic in New South Wales, Australia. 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