Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

May 14-15, 2011
Nanton, AB

Crawford Captures Chinook Credit Union Series at MJT’s Nanton Stop

For Immediate Release – Nanton, AB – (May 16, 2011) – Junior golfers from Alberta and Saskatchewan who traveled to compete in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s (MJT) Chinook Credit Union Series at Nanton Golf Club in Nanton, AB, on May 14-15 were challenged by extremely blustery spring conditions, which had winds gusting to over 80km/h, playing havoc with the ball off the tee and on the green. Leave it to tough Canadian junior golfers, however, to persevere and still post impressive scores. The low overall finisher was Aaron Crawford of Calgary, AB, whose second round 69 was also low round of the tournament.

The sixteen year old Crawford shot 77-69 en route to capturing the top spot in the Boys 14-16 Division with a 146 total, a nine stroke victory. His win has also qualifies him for a spot in a US Junior Sectional Qualifying Tournament as well as shortlists him for exemption into the 2011 Callaway Junior World Golf Championship in San Diego, which will be finalized following the last MJT qualifier on June 4-5. Crawford commented that the key to his win was, “my putting, it worked this weekend,” adding, “I started out great today, shooting four under par on the front nine under tough conditions. It feels awesome (to win) as it prepares me for the Alberta Junior Championship this July.” Finishing second in the division, for the Silver Medal, was Brett Sheridan, 16, of Lethbridge, AB, who shot rounds of 82-73 (155 total), while Kyle Pasta, 16, of Calgary, finished third with rounds of 81-77 (158 total).

In the Girls Division, Mieke Heyns, 18, of Lethbridge, posted an incredible 72-75 to win by an amazing 17 shots over her nearest competitors battling for second place. Asked about her tournament, Heyns said, “I tried to stay calm and patient, especially in the wind. It feels great to win as it shows me that my hard work in the winter has paid off!” For second place it was indeed a battle as both Kat Kennedy, 16, of Okotoks, AB, and Devon Spriddle, 15, of Lethbridge, tied after two days of tough competition with 164 totals, 83-81 and 82-82 respectively.

Austin Laidlaw, 17, of Lethbridge, played steady golf through the wind with rounds 80-70 (150), to claim the Boys 17-19 Division, and cited ‘his driver, straight all weekend’ as the reason for his success. “It feels great, we had a good weekend, and it was nice just to stay ahead of O’Donnell (Ryan) as he was charging,” Laidlaw said following the round. Ryan O’Donnell, 18, of Lethbridge (79-75) , and Mitch Taylor, 19, of Calgary (78-76), tied for second at 154 total score. A special congratulations as well to Jay Hollingsworth, 17 of Lethbridge, who recorded his first hole-in-one on the long par three 17th at Nanton Golf Club en route to placing tie fifth in the division.

In the Boys 13 and Under Division, Brendan Brown, 11, of Calgary, continued his streak as he has won three times in three starts on the MJT in 2011, firing impressive rounds of 77-73 (150) to claim the Gold Medal. Brown remarked that he “hit the driver well all weekend and had great kids to play with. I enjoy the MJT because the other kids are so fun!” Finishing in second was MJT newcomer, Michael Martin, 13, of Calgary, who carded rounds of 88-80 (168). Corey Bailey, 13, of Shaunavon, SK, shot 89-82 to tie for third with Alex Basilis, 13, of Calgary (88-83).

Divisional Skills winners were Alex Basilis, Andrew Cook of Calgary, Austin Laidlaw and Devon Spriddle for the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition, and Ben Farrington of Fort McMurray, Andrew Rados of Chestermere, Jordan Taylor of High River and Gina Kowalchuk of Lethbridge for the Sundog Closest-to-the-Pin. Kowalchuk also won the Golf Town Comeback Award for best second day improvement in her division, together with the other division winners Michael Martin of Calgary, Matthew Ritchot of Lethbridge, and Zac Sparks of Cochrane.

The MJT continues its Alberta schedule on May 21st and 22nd at Drayton Valley Golf Club in Drayton Valley – site of the 2011 Alberta Boys Junior Championship and a qualifier for the 59th annual East Aurora International Junior Masters which is held June 27– July 1, 2011 in Buffalo, New York. 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 presented by Boston Pizza is Canada’s premier and only national junior tour run exclusively by Canadian PGA Professionals and the ‘Road to College Golf’ for aspiring young players. The organization hosts more than 60 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for 7-13 year olds, and multi-day events for competitive players which also qualify juniors for international competitions. The MJT offers annual awards, scholarships, and frequent player incentives to help reward player's performance and participation throughout each season. MJT alumni include many Professional Tour players and Canadian PGA Professionals, as well as Canadian Amateur, National and Provincial Junior Champions. The MJT aims to develop champions, in golf and in life, promoting the game from grassroots through to provincial, national, university and professional level. For more information please visit www.maplejt.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: MJT - Elaine Denton - edenton@maplejt.com - 1-877-859-GOLF