Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

August 17-18, 2010
Winnipeg, MB

For Immediate Release

MAZUR MASTERS MJT-MANITOBA PGA JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

WINNIPEG, MB – (August 19, 2010) – The biggest field of junior golfers ever on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) in Manitoba strutted their stuff during the MJT-Manitoba PGA Junior Championship presented by National Bank Financial at Transcona Golf Club in Winnipeg on August 17th and 18th.

Ninety-one players from all over the province as well as from Ontario, Saskatchewan and Florida competed for division titles in the Manitoba Professional Golfers’ Association-endorsed two day event, in addition to the chance to qualify for the Texas Junior Golf Tour’s Barton Creek Holiday Classic in Texas, USA, in December. The weather was chilly in Winnipeg with some rain on day one, followed by sunshine and warm temperatures on day two.

Scott Mazur, 17, of Winnipeg, did not disappoint his home course members after firing 69-71 (140) to win low overall and take the MJT-Manitoba Junior Boys 17-19 Champion’s title together with the spot to Texas. Mazur gave away a few shots early but regrouped and birdied the last hole for a four shot victory over Garrett Neiles, 17, also of Winnipeg. “The last three holes of the second round was the difference in the tournament,” said Mazur. “After the front nine there were three of us tied and I knew I needed a good back nine to win.” Neiles played some solid golf, shooting 71-73 (144) to finish second in the division, with Bobby Mroz, 19, of Beausejour, MB, battling him throughout the round. Mroz ended up tied for third with scores of 71-74 (145) with Brodie Gobin, 17, of Portage, MB, after Gobin fired a 73 to sneak up the field and finish with 72-73 (145).

Evan DeGrazia, 15, of Thunder Bay, ON, played some stellar golf to win the MJT-Manitoba PGA Junior Boys 14-16 Champion’s title by one shot over MJT veteran Noel Ngo, 16, of Selkirk, MB. Playing partners Ngo and Zach Sackett commented that DeGrazia, who carded 73-72 (145), was ‘making up and downs from everywhere.’ “I was just thinking to keep the ball in play, play my own game and not worry about what the others do,” said DeGrazia. “The highlight was making a birdie on 17 to stay one ahead going into 18.” Ngo scored back-to-back rounds of 73 to finish at 146 while Sackett finished third with scores of 73-75 (148).

The MJT-Manitoba Junior Boys 13 and under Champion was decided in a playoff between Kirk Markowski, 13, of Dryden, ON, and Rayan Soni, 12, of Winnipeg, after an intense battle between the players who both fired 166 to tie for the lead. Markowski (86-80) won on the first playoff hole with a par. “The highlight for me in the tournament was sticking my seven iron to two feet on 12 on day one for a birdie. Then hitting my five wood in the fairway on the playoff hole,” said Markowski. Soni played well with scores of 85-81 for his best scores and finish on the MJT this season. There was a tie for third place in the division at 169 total score between Winnipeggers Sam Diamond, 11, and Scott Lemon, 13. Diamond made a great improvement in score over round one (92) to shoot the low round for the division on day two (77).

Winnipeggers dominated the Girls division, where Bri-Ann Tokariwski, 18, cleaned up by winning the Champion’s title with rounds of 84-75, the Mr. Lube Long Drive competition, the Sundog Closest-to-the-Pin, and the Golf Town Comeback Award. “Birdying the first hole on day two from 30 feet was a highlight for me,’ she said, citing her mental game as key to winning. Dana Todd, 15, had another great outing with some steady golf and finished second with scores of 85-84, while Amy Cerasani, 17, placed third by bombing some deep drives (94-91).

In addition to Tokariwski, the other divisional winners in the skills competitions were Rayan Soni, Erik Christianson, 16, of Winnipeg, and Gary Mroz, 17, of Beausejour, for the Mr. Lube Long Drive, with Adam Hunt, 12, of East St. Paul, MB, Zac Klassen, 16, of Winkler, MB, and Dominic Payne, 17, of East St. Paul, for the Sundog Closest-to-the-Pin. Golf Town Comeback Awards also went to Sam Diamond, Zach Taylor, 16, of Saskatoon, SK, and Mike Hetherington, 17, of Carman, MB.

Ed Boge, CPGA Professional and MJT Tournament Director, said, “A big thanks to the Transcona Golf Club staff for their amazing hospitality. It is always a pleasure to have our championship here. Thanks also to National Bank Financial and Guy Bieber for continuing to support this event.” Tournament Sponsor, National Bank Financial, have been behind the tournament for several years.

With the Manitoba season at an end players will now wait for notice on qualification for the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by Callaway at the Wigwam Golf Resort and Spa in Phoenix, AZ, November 19-21. For more information, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

About the MJT
As a not-for-profit association, the national Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) presented by Boston Pizza is Canada’s only major junior tour run exclusively by Canadian PGA Professionals. The program helps develop Canada's junior golfers, offering clinics, tournaments, international competitions and more. From free introductory clinics sponsored by Ford to the major CPGA Zone-sponsored junior championships, the MJT aims to develop champions, in golf and in life. For more information please visit www.maplejt.com.

About National Bank Financial:
National Bank Financial is a leading Canadian full-service investment dealer with $123 billion in assets under management who origins date back to 1902. National Bank Financial has 3,351 employees with offices and operations in Canada, Switzerland, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. The firm offers financial services and products to private and publicly owned corporations and institutional investors, individual investors and government agencies. National Bank Financial has 84 personal wealth management offices across Canada, and is the dominant provider of third-party brokerage services in the country. For more information visit www.nbf.ca

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