Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

July 3-5, 2012
Cloverdale, BC

Great scores highlight MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship
Vigna and Yang shortlisted for MJT Team Canada to Australia

For Immediate Release - Cloverdale, BC – (July 5, 2012) – A packed field of 108 junior golfers displayed their talents on July 3rd to 5th at Northview Golf and Country Club in Cloverdale in the largest Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event of the year in the province - the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship – where several under-par rounds were recorded.

With the support of Odlum Brown Limited and the PGA of BC, the MJT staged this 54-hole event on two championship golf courses, the Canal, and then the Ridge, which was played by those who made the cut after two days. The tournament is also ranked by Golf Canada and Golf British Columbia with American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Performance Stars to the overall low scoring girl and boy, who are also then shortlisted for MJT Team Canada to the Srixon International Junior Classic in NSW, Australia, this October.

Kevin Vigna, 16, of Coquitlam, pulled ahead of the pack during round two by blitzing the par 72 course with a brilliant score of 66, and closed with a two-under-par 70 today to be crowned the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-BC PGA Junior Boys 14-16 Champion and Low Overall Winner. “My highlight came in round one when I flopped my third shot into the hole from behind the green. Also, my chip-in for birdie on 18 in the final round was a nice way to finish the tournament,” said Vigna, who is now on the shortlist for Australia and receives the AJGA Performance Stars. “I knew I had a four shot lead going to 16 so I figured three pars should get me the victory. It feels good to win my first MJT this year….everything went perfect.” Runner-up in Boys 14-16 was Chris Crisologo, 16, of Richmond, BC, who fired 74-70-71 (215) while third place went to Marcus Brown, 16, of Surrey, BC (76-70-73=219).

MJT Odlum Brown Classic-BC PGA Junior Boys 17-19 Champion was Steven Diack, 19, of Coquitlam, whose outstanding last two rounds of 69-68 vaulted him into the lead over first round leaders Kaleb Fisher of Abbotsford and Victor Baptiste of Oliver, delivering a final total of four-under-par for the tournament (75-69-68). “My albatross on 12 put me to three under and in a comfortable position, and to shoot seven under in two days is really solid and gives me lots of confidence for future events,” said Diack, who rated the course and conditions of the well-manicured Northview facility as “very good with very true greens.” Victor Baptiste had to settle for runner-up in Boys 17-19 with scores of 74-71-75=220, while Jake Du Vall, 18, of Victoria, BC, vaulted into third place after firing a great closing round (77-75-69=221).

The strong play and low scores continued in the very tightly contested Boys 13 and under division where eventual Champion Roy Kang razed the Ridge Course with an impressive 67 final round to come in at five-under-par for the three days (73-71-67=211), edging last year’s champion, Henry Lee, for the victory. “My highlight was to come back with four birdies in the last five holes, winning by one,” said Kang, 13, of North Vancouver, BC, adding the win felt “very good, first time for this tournament!” Henry Lee, 13, of Coquitlam, played consistently beautiful golf but had to settle for second with his fine scores of 70-72-70 (four-under-par total of 212) while another veteran on the MJT podium, Joe Wook Lee, 12, of Langley, BC, took third place with excellent rounds of 74-71-70 (215).

During the final round, Annie Yang, 17, of Delta, BC, pulled ahead of joint leader Rachel Shi, 16, of Vancouver, to win the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-BC PGA Junior Girls title (78-73-75=226), together with the AJGA Performance Stars and shortlisted spot to Australia. Yang made it a clean sweep, adding both the Mr. Lube Long Drive and Sundog Eyewear Skills Competition prizes to her haul. “I feel happy since my hard work paid off,” she said. Shi had to settle for second place (75-76-81=232) while Haley Kruse, 17, of Victoria, BC, came in third (80-76-77=235).

The other divisional winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive contest were Henry Lee, Max Waterman of Surrey, and Jake Du Vall, while in the Sundog Eyewear Closest to the Pin Contest they were Andrew Spalti of Vancouver, Jaesung Choi of Surrey and Jesse Reichelt of Langley. For the best second round improvement, the Golf Town Comeback Award winners were Connor Atkinson of Bow, WA, Gavin Ciula of Surrey, Chase Lussier of Port McNeill, BC, and Emma Nelson of White Rock, BC. There were also many players who were presented with randomly drawn door prizes by STM Wealth Management of Odlum Brown Limited, who were on site with a hospitality tent for parents each day.

The Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour heads to the beautiful Okanagan next or the MJT BC Series at The Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna on July 23 and 24, a tournament which also features an Interclub Competition with net scores. For full details and online registration, interested juniors can 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 PGA of Canada 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 7–12 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.

About Odlum Brown Limited: Odlum Brown Limited is an independent, BC-based, full-service investment firm providing disciplined investment advice and objective research with a singular focus on clients. Established in 1923, the firm offers a full range of investment products including equities, fixed income, mutual funds and GIC’s; and financial, retirement and estate planning through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Odlum Brown Financial Services Limited. For more information visit www.OdlumBrown.com Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund.


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