Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

May 3-4, 2014
Lethbridge, AB

Murphy blows off snow with 3-under par win at MJT’s Paradise Canyon opener 115-strong field persevere in rain, snow and wind

LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA – (May 5, 2014) – A full field of 115 highly touted junior golfers from far and wide braced snow and wind in the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s (MJT) Alberta Season Opener this past weekend at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort (GR) in Lethbridge, May 3-4, managing to finish 36 holes to tee off the season.

Each of the four divisions featured outstanding wins by the respective champions. Low Overall and an exemption into the Future Champions Golf World Championship on July 19 -23 at PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, California, was won by stellar athlete Patrick Murphy of Crossfield, Alberta, who fired outstanding rounds of 71, 68 (139) to take the MJT Junior Boys Division title.

Murphy, who has committed to UCLA, began his tournament career at Paradise Canyon GR when he was 8 years old, and stated, “This is where it all began for me.  I love this venue and coming back here every year to start the Alberta season on the MJT!"  Finishing three strokes back was Calgary's Carter Grosart, 18, who fired 73, 69 (142) while Scott Merriam, 19, of Cranbrook, British Columbia finished in third with solid rounds of 71, 72 (143).

In the Juvenile Boys division, an exciting three way playoff was needed following regulation play between AJ Armstrong, 16, of St. Albert, AB, Sang Won (Jason) Kim, 16, of Calgary, and Noah Lubberding, 16, of St. Albert, AB.  On the first hole of sudden death, Lubberding and Kim both made birdies to force a second hole. Lubberding hit his tee shot in to the front bunker and ended up in an unraked area, which allowed Kim a two-putt par victory for his first win on the MJT. Following the playoff, Kim said, "I stayed patient in the bad weather all weekend but my highlight was making birdie after Noah (Lubberding) made a bomb on the first playoff hole!"

Calgary's Jaclyn Lee, 16, played very well, posting excellent scores of 74, 78 (152) to win the MJT Girls division.  Lee credited her strong short game in round one as her highlight for the tournament, saying, "I got the ball up and down a lot during the first round, and that was the difference for me this weekend." Runner-up was Lethbridge’s Gina Kowalchuk, 18, who fired 78, 76 (154), while Kenna Hughes, 16, of Calgary, and Brianna Carrels, 18, of Lethbridge, tied for third with a two-day total of 156.

More perseverance was witnessed in the competitive Bantam Boys division, when MJT veteran Ethan Choi, 12, of Pincher Creek, AB, captured his very first title on the Alberta circuit firing two solid rounds of 77, 72 (149) to edge out first round leader Scott Shugg by two shots.  Choi, who practices at Paradise Canyon GR, said, “I was trying to stay focused, and not worry so much about Scott.  I just wanted to get the ball in the fairway and on the green and try to make pars."  Shugg, 13, of Cochrane, AB, shot 74, 77 (151) to finish in second place while Zander Park, 14, of Springbank, AB, shot 80, 74 (154) to finish alone in third.

To view the full leaderboard and final results, please click here. The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop is the MJT Junior Worlds Qualifier / Golf Alberta Order of Merit Series at Lacombe Golf and Country Club in Lacombe on May 17-18, 2014.  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. 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Elaine Denton, MJT edenton@maplejt.com 1-877-859-GOLF