Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

August 7-8, 2014
Ponoka, AB

Winners weather the storm during MJT Ford Series at Wolf Creek

Ponoka, AB. – (August 9, 2014) – It was a very satisfied Grant Numerich of Red Deer, AB, who claimed his first MJT Low Overall Title in the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Ford Series at Wolf Creek Golf Resort this week.  The field was lucky to get in 27 holes for the two-day tournament in Ponoka, AB on August 7th and 8th, as it had to be shortened due to torrential rain and strong winds on the second day.  “It got very crazy out there,” said MJT Tournament Director and PGA Professional Trent Matson. “We pulled the juniors off for lightning and then the rain and winds were so strong we were not able to complete 36 holes in the end.”

Numrich, 17, has played on the MJT for years and finally broke out to win over a full field, taking home top honours in the Junior Boys 17-19 Division after solid rounds of 72-38 (110).  “The course played very tough – it’s already a long course and the conditions made it tough,” said Numrich. “I was glad to be pretty consistent yesterday starting out with a 34 on the front.”  17-year old Jaxon Lynn of Sylvan Lake, AB, made a hard charge for runner-up in the division after posting scores of 76-36 (112), followed by Keaton Allred, 18, of Edmonton, AB, who carded 79-37 (116) to finish third.

In the MJT Girls Division, it took two extra holes for 17-year old Emily Creaser of Edmonton to defeat Rayna Oosterhuis, 18, also of Edmonton, after both girls finished regulation play tied at 120. Creaser said, “I struggled with how rainy and windy it was but on the whole I feel I’ve improved a lot this year by playing a lot of MJT events.” Oosterhuis, however, scooped both the Long Drive and Closest-to-the-Pin prizes among the Girls, where third place on the podium went to local Daria Leidenius, 17, of Ponoka  (83-41=124).

Korbin Allan, 14, of Lyalta, AB, carded rounds of 70-40 (110) to claim the MJT Bantam Boys 14 & Under title.  Allan, who rated the Wolf Creek course as ‘in great shape’, was the only player to break par at the event while claiming his third tournament win in a row.  Finishing second was 14-year old Calgarian Zack Farkas who shot 71-47 (118) and also won the Closest-to-the-Pin competition, followed by Ronnie Postnikoff, 14, of Medicine Hat, AB, who played solid golf for third place with rounds of 77-43 (120) and won the Long Drive for the division.

The MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 Division was won by Justin Berget, 16, of Spruce Grove, AB, who claimed his first MJT title with scores of 76-35 (111), and was the low player on day two in terrible conditions.  “I loved the course,” said Berget, who took home the Long Drive prize as well. “It was a battle through the rain today but I made pars when I needed to.” Finishing two shots back was MJT veteran Landon Stellingwerff, 15, of Calgary, who shot 75-38 (113). The top three spots in the division were rounded out by 15-year old Alexander Smith of Calgary, who carded 78-36 (114).

The other Skills Competition division winners were Logan Hill of Red Deer for the Mr. Lube Long Drive with Alexander Smith of Calgary and Christian Chiovelli of Edmonton for the Sundog Closest-to-the-Pin. Golf Town Comeback Awards for best second day improvement in score went to Reese Martin of Brooks, AB, Richard Dou of  Calgary, Nick Seniuk of Edmonton, and Zack Thys of Spruce Grove.

Tournament highlights and a photo gallery can be seen here. 

The final stop on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Alberta schedule is the MJT Prodigy Series at Fairmont Jasper Park Golf Club in Jasper 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 Canada¹s 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