Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

October 5, 2013
Vancouver, BC

Great finish to MJT’s BC season at University Golf Club

Vancouver, BC – (October 7, 2013) – The final stop for 2103 in British Columbia on the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour ran in great weather on Saturday, October 5, at University Golf Club in Vancouver, BC, where a wait-listed field of 74 junior golfers competed in the MJT Nationwide One Day Fall Series.

Division champions were Roy Kang of Seymour Creek Golf Club in Bantam (68), Andrew Wong of Seymour Golf & Country Club in Juvenile (74), Josh Legge of Myrtle Point Golf Club in Junior (71), and Madison Kapchinsky of The Harvest Golf Club in Girls (77).

Kang, 14, of North Vancouver, beat out Raymond Li, 12, of Vancouver (75) and Thomas Verigin, 14, of West Vancouver (76) for the Bantam Boys 14 and under title with his 4-under-par 68 off the white tees. “I made back-to-back birdies on 8 and 9 and made eagle on the 10th hole,” he said, adding that the win felt ‘very good.’

Wong, 15, of West Vancouver, capped a tough field with his score of 74 in the MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 division. “My driving and putting helped me win today - it helps to be in the fairway,” he said. “It feels great – it’s my first MJT win!” Second place in the division went to James Chang, 15, of Vancouver, (77), while there was a three-way tie for third at 78 between Nathan Bahnman, 15, of Abbotsford, Gavin Ciulla, 15, of Surrey, and Trever Harris, 16, also of Surrey.

Madison Kapchinsky, 19, of Kelowna, claimed another MJT Girls Division title with her score of 77, stating that ‘keeping calm’ was the reason for her victory, and ‘laughing with Haley (Hewer)!’ as her highlight. “It always feels good (to win). I finished the season having 8 gold medals.”  Kathrine Chan, 13, of Richmond, tied with Tiffany Kong, 12, of Vancouver, for second place after both girls shot 80.

Josh Legge, 18, of Powell River, who claimed another MJT Junior Boys 17-19 title with his one-under-par 71, rated the University course as ‘beautiful, and the conditions were soft, making a long, tough golf course.’ He noted he wants to work as hard as he can in the off-season to prepare himself for next year. “Closing out this year with a win feels great – hard work pays off.” Runner-up was Michael Griffin, 17, of Victoria, who shot 76, followed by Ben McNiven, 17, of Merritt, who shot 78.     

The Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition winners were Kapchinsky, Lucas Wu of Vancouver, Gavin Ciulla, and Kurtis Fontinha of Penticton, while the Sundog Eyewear Closest-to-the-Pin Competition winners were Vivian Wang of Vancouver, Andrew Spalti of Vancouver, Gavin Ciulla, and Devin Kelly of White Rock.

Detailed highlights and a photo gallery of the MJT Nationwide One Day Fall Series at University Golf Club can be found online here.  This was the last chance in BC to earn MJT Cleveland Golf Order of Merit (OOM) Points, and the provincial cumulative point winners in the four divisions who will each receive $500 towards their entries into the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship at Reunion Golf Resort in Florida, USA, November 8-10, will soon be announced. Early Bird MJT Memberships for 2014 will soon be available; for more information 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 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. 

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