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Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA Professionals

Press Release

July 15-17, 2013
Surrey, BC

Exciting finish to nationally-ranked 8th annual MJT Odlum Brown Classic

Cloverdale, BC – (July 17, 2013) – A major event on Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour, the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), ran Monday through Wednesday, July 15th to 17th, on Northview Golf Course in Cloverdale, BC, where 112 top junior golfers with a cut to the top 65 after 36 holes, vied for division titles and various rankings in the 8th annual MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship. Exciting finishes in all four divisions were recorded in the 54 hole tournament, which is ranked by Golf Canada, Golf British Columbia, Golfweek, Junior Golf Scoreboard, World Amateur Golf Ranking and the MJT Cleveland Golf Order of Merit, plus the overall low scoring girl and boy receive American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Performance Stars. Several under-par rounds were recorded as well as a hole-in-one by a nine-year-old, Brycen Ko of Richmond, BC, on the Canal Course’s sixth hole during the first round. 

Strong play and low scores in the very tightly contested juvenile division yielded the eventual champion as James Kim, 15, of Langley, BC, who despite a knee brace, pulled through for his first ever MJT win to be crowned the MJT Odlum Brown Classic- PGA of BC Juvenile Boys 15-16 Champion with fine scores of 68, 74, 75=217, qualifying for both AJGA Performance Stars and a spot in the FCG San Diego Junior Amateur. “It feels great to win my first ever MJT after playing MJT for three years,” he said, attributing victory to ‘my parents and putter and my knee.’ Kim noted that among his competitors, “Sir Scott (Lemon) had me worried,” and with just cause, as Scott Lemon, 16, of Winnipeg, MB, finished runner-up in the division just one stroke back (70, 72, 76=218). Third place was claimed by Jake Scarrow, 16, of Dewdney, BC, after he carded great rounds of 70, 77, 74=221.

After four years on the MJT, Edward Metcalfe, 17, of Surrey, BC, also won his very first title and made it a major one to boot - MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Boys 17-19 Champion. Metcalfe held on to win by two after firing 69, 72, 77=218. “I had lots of one putts and was draining them from all over,” he said. “Jacob Vanderpas had me fighting for every shot. I’m excited to win my first MJT.” Shayne LaRochelle, 17, of Coquitlam, BC, came close to winning his first MJT event with fine scores of 75, 72, 73=220, but had to settle for a tie in second place in the division with Howard Lee, 18, of Port Coquitlam, BC (70, 74, 76=220). Second round leader Vanderpas, 18, of Vancouver, BC, ended up tied for 11th after a tough final round (74-66-86=226).

After losing the BC Junior Girls Provincial Championship title in a playoff just recently, it was déjà vu for MJT veteran Alix Kong, 17, of West Vancouver, when during the final round, Michelle Kim, 16, of Surrey (73, 69, 73=215), pulled into a joint lead with Kong (73, 67, 75=215), forcing a four hole playoff where Kim went birdie, par, birdie, par to win the MJT Odlum Brown Classic- PGA of BC Junior Girls title together with AJGA Performance Stars. “Alix Kong is an outstanding player who also played very well this week,” said Kim about her rival, adding, “It feels great to have accomplished my goal and so happy that my hard work paid off – thank you MJT!,” Third place went to Jessica Claggett, 18, of Kelowna, BC, who shot 75, 71, 81=227.

Roy Kang, 14, of North Vancouver, BC, repeated as champion off the white tees with a brilliant eight-under-par total score of 69, 64, 75=208 to win the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Bantam Boys 14 and under title. “I’d like to thank the MJT staff and the golf course,” said Kang, who rated the course conditions “very hard with fast greens.” Another veteran on the MJT podium, Jaewook Lee, 14, of Langley, carded consistently excellent scores of 70, 71, 70=211 to finish at five-under-par, placing second in the division, while Andy Kim, 13, also of Langley, shot fine rounds of 76, 74, 73=223 to finish third.

The divisional winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive contest were Alix Kong, Taylor Patrick of Surrey, BC, Andrew Alafriz of Abbotsford, BC, and Hunter Phelan of North Vancouver, while in the Sundog Eyewear Closest to the Pin Contest they were Marie Donnici of Vancouver, Davide Kaiser of Kelowna, BC, Guillermo Cortina of Whistler and Jacob Vanderpas. For the best second round improvement, the Golf Town Comeback Award winners were Hayley Kruse of Victoria, BC, Ethan Harris of Coquitlam, Branden Jewsbury of Westbank, BC, and Vanderpas. There were also many players who were presented with randomly drawn door prizes including Maple Ridge’s Steven Veerman and Cecile Kwon, who won a Callaway Driver and a Big Max pull cart respectively.

The Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour heads to the Okanagan next for the MJT Ford Series at The Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna on July 22nd and 23rd, 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 number-one played Junior Golf Tour as well as the only national junior tour run exclusively by PGA of Canada Professionals and the ‘Road to College Golf’ in Canada. The organization is generously supported by Boston Pizza and Premier Partners Cleveland Golf, Srixon, Ford, Mr. Lube, Golf Town and Travel Underwriters, in addition to valued Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT 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 program 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 PGA of Canada 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