Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 1-2, 2013
Pitt Meadows, BC

Legge, Kelly, Huang all claim their first MJT titles and Lau wins another playoff on Ford Series at Swan-e-set

Pitt Meadows, BC – (June 3, 2013) – It was a weekend of firsts at the first stop in the three-event MJT Ford Series, held at Swan-e-Set Bay Resort in Pitt Meadows, BC, on June 1-2. The second and third Ford-sponsored stops on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour will run at The Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna on July 22-23 and at Hazelmere Golf Club in Surrey on August 12-13. Winning their very first MJT Boys division titles this weekend were Josh Legge of Powell River, BC, Devin Kelly of White Rock, BC, and Harry Huang of Vancouver, BC, and Alisha Lau of Richmond, BC, won a consecutive MJT Girls division playoff. The two day tournament at Swan-e-set also featured a qualifier for shortlisted positions on MJT Team Canada to the SRIXON International Junior Classic in Australia this October, with the final winners to be announced once all MJT qualifiers across the country have completed.

Of note is that the Juvenile Boys 15-16 division winner, Devin Kelly, 16, shot his very first round under par in a tournament for his win (80-71=151). “My ball striking was really solid day two and I managed to make a couple of putts coming in – the greens were mint,” said Kelly, who has played on the MJT for the past three years. “I’m pumped to get my first MJT win.” Tied for second place in this division at 154 total score were Jake Scarrow, 16, of Dewdney, BC, who shot 80-74, and James Chang, 15, of Vancouver, BC (78, 76).

Josh Legge, 18, made his trip from Powell River worth his while after shooting 78-71 (149) to win Low Overall and the MJT Junior Boys 17-19 title. “Swan-e-set is one of the nicest courses I’ve played in a while – very tough,” he said. “The win feels excellent! I’ve worked really hard.” Second place in the division went to Craig Titterington, 18, of Coquitlam, BC (78, 76=154) and third to Marcus Brown, 17, of Surrey, BC, (78, 77=155).

The Bantam Boys 14 and under division title was turned over to Harry Huang, 14, who fired rounds of 76-73 (149) to win by eight strokes over both Taylor Patrick, (78-79) and Mathew McConnachie, (75-82) both of Surrey, BC. Huang cited his eagle on the Par four 15th hole, which led to him shooting five under par on the back nine, as key to his victory. “It was very exciting and my hands were shaky on the last hole, however I still birdied it,” he said. “This is my first win in Canada over the last four years.”

13-year-old Alisha Lau shot 80-77 (157) to tie for the MJT Girls division lead with Winnie Hyun, 18, of Langley, BC (79-78=157) and won the title on the second playoff hole, her consecutive playoff victory. At the last MJT event which ran at Pagoda Ridge Golf Club in Langley, Lau won a playoff for a MJT spot in the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships this July. “My competitors had me a bit worried, it was a close game coming down to a sudden death playoff,” she said about the MJT Ford Series win. “It feels good to win - it came to a bit of a nerve-wracking end but I had fun playing with my friends.” Ye Ji Lim, 15, of Langley, placed third in the division with scores of 77-82 (159).

Divisional winners of the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Sophie Liu of Surrey, Dillon Cooper of West Vancouver, BC, Edward Metcalfe of Surrey, and Kaleb Fisher of Abbotsford, BC, while in the Sundog Eyewear Closest-to-the-Pin Competition they were Kelly Selvaraja of Mission, BC, Harry Huang, Michael Griffin of Victoria, BC and Paul Bordignon of Burnaby, BC. Golf Town Comeback Awards went to Cecile Kwon of Maple Ridge, BC, Joel Shin of Port Coquitlam, BC, Dobson Ironmonger of Langley, and Lorenzo Guzzo of Burnaby. For detailed highlights of the MJT Ford Series at Swan-e-set Bay Resort click here.

The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in the province is the Golf Canada-ranked MJT Odlum Brown Classic–PGA of BC Junior Championship at Northview Golf and Country Club, Cloverdale, July 15-17, a qualifying event for the FCG San Diego Junior Amateur in December. For more information 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 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.