Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

August 11-12, 2014
Vernon, BC

Amazing race at Predator Ridge on MJT Ford Series

Vernon, BC – (August 12, 2014) – After closing with a scorching 66, Jake Scarrow drove away with the MJT Ford Series Junior Boys 17-19 title at the spectacular Predator Ridge Golf Resort in Vernon, BC, where a full field of junior golfers from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia yielded up some outstanding scores during the Ford-sponsored Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour two-day tournament on August 11th and 12th.

Scarrow, 17, of Dewdney, BC, who shot 66, 72 (138), said, “The 20 foot birdie putt I made on 14 put me ahead four shots which I needed, as Scott Kerr did not miss a putt on the back nine, making five birdies. I’m extremely happy with this win – it means a lot to me late in the season.” Silver medallist Scott Kerr, 17, of Vancouver, BC, carded 72, 71 (143) to hold off a hard charge from Casey Sullivan, 18, of Kelowna, BC, who closed with a 68 but had to settle for bronze in the division (76, 68=144).

Pole position in the MJT Bantam Boys 14 and under division went to defending champion Andrew Spalti, 14, of Vancouver, who repeated his impressive opening round of 69 on day two for a wire-to-wire victory by 12 strokes (69-69=138). “My low practice rounds of 66, 71 gave me confidence going into the tournament,” he said. “I love this course – I rate it 10 out of 10, and my competitors were all very polite and a pleasure to play with. It feels great to win with the pressure of being defending champion.” Brandon Chai, 14, of Coldstream, BC, shot 77, 73 (150) to take the silver medal, and a stellar closing round of 70 vaulted Raymond Li, 13, of Vancouver (81, 70=151) into third place.

After tying for the first round lead in MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16, Nathan Bahnman, 16, of Abbotsford, BC, put the pedal down on day two to overtake his competitors and win gold (74, 73=147). “This golf course was the highlight, conditions were awesome.. It just feels great to win – it’s my first MJT title.” Silver medallist was Mac Gourdine, 15, of Coldstream, BC (77, 75=152) and the division’s bronze medal went to Kelowna’s Nik Federko, (76, 77=153).

Hometown favourite Mackenzie Barrie, 18, of Vernon, drove away with the MJT Ford Series Girls division gold medal after shooting solid scores of 72, 73 (145). “I was mentally really focused, mainly in the first round,” she said. “I have been on the edge of some good rounds for a while now so the win feels really good.” A great final round of 70 from Haley Hewer, 17, of Penticton, BC, secured her the silver (79, 70=149) while MJT veteran Madison Kapchinsky, 19, of Kelowna, carded 79, 72 (151) to take the bronze.

Winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Veronica Vetesnik of Winnipeg, MB, Kristian Oppenheim of Kelowna, Brandon McManus of Surrey, BC, and Austin Bosquet of Coldstream, BC. Sundog Eyewear Closest-to-the-Pin Competition winners were Tiegan Taylor of  Kelowna, Sam Sweet of  Kelowna, Evan Merrier of Surrey, and Scott Kerr. Golf Town Comeback Awards for best second day improvement in score went to Haley Hewer, Nigel Anderson of Calgary, AB, Cameron Welch of Kelowna, and Drew Dougherty of Calgary.

Tournament highlights and a photo gallery can be seen online here.

The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s final multi-day stop in the province is the MJT Ford Series at Hazelmere Golf Club in Surrey on August 18th and 19th. For more information or to register 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 Ford of Canada, Mr. Lube, Cleveland Golf, Srixon, Gatorade 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 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.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour: Elaine Denton, Director of Marketing and Administration  edenton@maplejt.com 1-877-859-GOLF