March 16-17, 2014
Coquitlam, BC
VANCOUVER, B.C. – (March 18, 2014) – A full field of 100 highly touted junior golfers from far and wide teed off in the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s (MJT) National Season Opener this past weekend in British Columbia. Tough weather on day one resulted in the 54 hole tournament being cut to 36 holes, with round one played at Meadow Gardens Golf Club in Pitt Meadows on March 16, and the final round on March 17 at the prestigious Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam.
Each of the four divisions featured outstanding wins by the respective champions. Low Overall and a spot in the 62nd International Junior Masters Tournament (IJM) in East Aurora, NY, one of America's oldest and most prestigious junior events, was won by Alex Park, 16, of Vancouver, BC, who fired excellent rounds of 70, 74 (144) to take the MJT Juvenile Boys division among an absolute top class of players. Just one stroke back was Vancouver’s Patrick Tan, 16, who shot 71, 74 (145), while James Kim, 16, also of Vancouver, placed third in the division (75, 74=149).
The talent of young Alisha Lau, 14, of Richmond, BC, played out with excellent scores of 70, 75 (145), winning her the MJT Girls division title and a spot in the Future Collegiate World Tour’s (FCWT) National Championship at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, in May 2014. Runner-up was West Vancouver’s Alix Kong, 17, who fired 77, 73 (150) and SFU’s Madison Kapchinsky, 19, of Kelowna, BC, placed third (77, 76=153).
In the Junior Boys division, Ryan Hunt, 19, of Pitt Meadows, BC, clinched his first MJT victory with scores of 72, 73 (145) after three years on the MJT playing in 24 tournaments. He beat out both Andrew Brown, 17, of Calgary, AB (76, 72) and Scott Kerr, 17, of Vancouver, (71, 77) who tied for second at 148 total score.
More perseverance was witnessed in the tough Bantam Boys division, where Jaewook Lee, 14, of Langley, BC, blitzed his way back into the winner’s circle after a year’s absence and claimed an exemption into the FCWT National Championship in Florida with his scores of 74, 72 (146), just edging both Khan Lee, 14, of Surrey, BC (74, 73) and Andrew Spalti, 13, of Vancouver, (72, 75), who tied for second place at 147 total score.
To view the full leaderboard and final results, please click here. To view the entire MJT 2014 schedule, please click here.
The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop is the KIKKOR Classic at Morgan Creek Golf Course in South Surrey, B.C, April 5-6, where ‘Big Break’ star, James Lepp, owner of KIKKOR, will host a short clinic on the driving range during the final round. 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 70 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf JuniorClinics, 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.
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Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s National Season Opener – Winner’s Quotes
"[It really] feels amazing to win today. There was a tough field of talented players who all had chances to win. Learning how to control my emotions really helped me today. I really tried to keep my tee shots in play, which was the key to the two tight courses. Coming down the stretch, I didn’t think about the score. Rather I was focused on executing the shots I wanted to hit, visualizing my shot, shape of my drive, approach and putts.”