Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

May 22-23, 2010
Lacombe, AB

For Immediate Release

FLEMING FIRST-RATE AT MJT’S BRANDT LEVERS MEMORIAL

Lacombe, AB – (May 24, 2010) – The weather seemed to be the story at the Golf Canada-ranked Brandt Levers Memorial on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) at Lacombe Golf Club in Lacombe over the May long weekend, as winds gusted to 60km per hour, and the temperature never got to double digits until Sunday afternoon.

The cool and windy conditions took nothing away from the scoring, however, as Riley Fleming, 16, of Airdrie, shot great rounds of 67-74 (141) to win the overall title and the Boys 14-16 gold medal by an incredible 12 shots. It was the second year in a row that Fleming won gold at this event on the very well groomed Lacombe Golf Course. Mack Penner, 16, of Lethbridge, shot 78-75 (153) to take home the silver medal. There was a four-way tie for third place in the division at 154 total score between Jay Hollingsworth of Lethbridge (79-75), John McKiernan, 16, of Calgary (78-76), Derek Rucki, 16, of Chestermere (76-78), and Austin Laidlaw, 16, of Lethbridge (76-78).

In the Boys 17–19 division, Scott Malo, 18, of Calgary, fired 73-70 (143) and finished a couple of shots ahead of Edmonton’s Connor O’Reilly to claim gold. Malo had the low score for the entire field on the second day citing ‘staying calm’ as the reason for his fine play. “I knew that there were some low scores out there today, so I just tried to make a few birdies coming in and hoped it was enough.” O’Reilly, 18, carded 72-73 (145). Third place went to Andrew Ritchot, 17, of Lethbridge, who scored 74–72 (146).

Becky Martin, 16, of Medicine Hat (81-72=153) was on fire during the second round coming from a shot behind 15-year-old Kat Kennedy of Okotoks (80-75=155) to claim the gold medal in the Girls division, her second title of the year. Martin, who has seen a lot of success at the Lacombe Golf Club as she won this event last year and claimed the High School Provincials at Lacombe earlier this year, said she was just “trying to hit good shots, and get it up and down whenever I could” en route to her victory. Finishing in third and receiving the bronze medal was Mandy Wong, 17, of Calgary (83-83=166).

Jason Martens, 13, of Edmonton, continued to dominate the Boys 13 and under division, winning his third gold medal and a paid entry to the Pepsi Little People’s Championship in Quincy, Illinois, later this year. Martens carded rounds of 72-81 (153). Ten year old Brendan Brown of Calgary fired 82-75 (157) to finish in second place, while Brett Pasula, 13, of Red Deer, carded 88-76 (164) to finish third.

Connor Grimes, 18, of Edmonton, aced the Sundog Closest-to-the-Pin (KP) hole (#6) with a hole-in-one! The other Sundog KP winners were Jason Martens, Tyler Saunders of Sturgeon County, and Carolyn Lee of Calgary. The Mr. Lube Long Drive divisional winners were Brett Pasula of Red Deer, Riley Fleming, Derek Field of Calgary and Sydney MacDonald. A special new category of Golf Town ‘Comeback Award’ winners included Sydney MacDonald in Girls, Nolan Bruin of Red Deer in Boys 13 and under, Kolby Vold of Ponoka in Boys 14-16, and Chris Acorn of Edson in Boys 17-19.

The tournament paid tribute to the memories of Brandt Levers and his best friend, Tyler Tomaszeski, both former MJT members, who sadly passed away at ages 18 and 20 respectively. Levers was a two-time winner at Lacombe. Both families were at the event to celebrate the accomplishments of the young athletes, handing out the medals and prizes. It was a fitting tribute to two young men that will always be remembered for their passion for golf and life. Sydney MacDonald, 16, of Calgary, was presented with the Tyler Tomasezki Sportsmanship Award. Whether Sydney shot 88 or 79, no one knew how she was playing, nor did she ever lose the smile off her face, and Myles Tomasezki presented the award to Sydney in an emotional presentation that saw many tears.

The Boston Pizza-presented MJT continues its Alberta schedule on June 12th and 13th at Olds Central Highlands Golf Club in Olds. For more information, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

-30-

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