Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

July 30-31, 2014
Prince Albert, SK

Kocur Carves Up Cooke Golf Course

Prince Albert, SK – (August 1, 2014) – Hot 30 degree weather was ‘better than wind and rain’ according to Drew Kocur, 18, of Regina, SK, who carved up the Cooke Municipal Golf Course this week with a hot score of 67 during round one of the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Golf Saskatchewan Order of Merit/Prodigy Series in Prince Albert. Kocur closed with a final round of 72 to win low overall (139) with his MJT Junior Boys 17-19 title in the two-day tournament on July 30 and 31.

“Shooting my career low was a highlight,” he said. “I know that a lot of my fellow competitors are good players and can shoot a low number – I love the competitive play in our age group. The win feels great – I finally got the monkey off my back this year. I’d like to thank my coach, Dean Brown!”

Second and third in this division were MJT veterans Diehl Normand, 17 of Meadow Lake, SK, who played solid golf with rounds of 72, 73 (145) and Cory Sawchuk, 17, of Prince Albert, who shaved nine strokes off his score on day two (78, 69=147).

The MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 champion was Marc Sweeney, 16, of Saskatoon, SK, who fired 75, 73 (148) to beat Jordan Unger, 16, of Saskatoon, (75, 77=152) by four strokes. “Jordan was putting the pressure on me coming down the stretch,” Sweeney said. “I just played really consistent both days and it feels good to finally win.” Third place went to juvenile Matt Bean, 15, also of Saskatoon, SK (77, 77=154).

Another Saskatoon player, Steven Duchscher, 13, won the MJT Bantam Boys 14 and under division after coming from behind with a great closing round of 73 ((80, 73=153) and holding off Scott Shugg, 14, of Cochrane, AB (75, 81=156) and Bradley Moser, 14, of Saskatoon,  (79, 79=158). “Scott and Brad are both great players and they had me worried,” said Duchscher. “Making a comeback and draining my putt on 18 was the key. The course was in great condition – the greens were really tough – it just feels great to get the first win.”

MJT Girls division champion was Alexandria Bernier, 17, of Meadow Lake (89, 89=178), who cited, ‘having fun with the people I golfed with’ as her personal highlight. “It feels so nice to come in first but I would not care if I finished last because I had fun,” she said. Keely Tallon, 18, of Nipawin, SK, shot 98, 99 to place second while Grace Cho, 13, of Edmonton, AB, came third with scores of 99, 101.

Divisional winners of the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Keely Tallon of Nipawin, Connor Tate of Kindersley, SK, Marc Sweeney and Tyrell Wees of Regina. Sundog Eyewear Closest-to-the-Pin Competition winners were Tenesha Pompu of Carrot River, SK, Ben Zultok of Prince Albert, Jordan Simoneau of Tisdale, SK and Ty Campbell of Saskatoon. Golf Town Comeback Awards went to Courtney Wichihin of Sturgeon Lake, SK, Nikhil Pool of Swift Current, SK, Julian Gilewicz of Saskatoon, and Tristen Amyotte of Fort Qu'Appelle, SK.

Detailed highlights of the MJT Golf Saskatchewan Order of Merit/Prodigy Series can be found here. 

The final Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in the province is the MJT Golf Saskatchewan Order of Merit Championship at The Legends Golf Club in Warman on August 23 and 24. 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.