Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

PETERSBURG, ON. – (May 5, 2014) –  A total of 70 junior golfers braced tough weather conditions during the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s stop at the recently open Rebel Creek Golf Club in Petersburg, Ontario over the May 3rd and 4th weekend, where Atom and Peewee-aged players competed in the new MJT Mini Tour on May 3rd for shortlisted spots in the Callaway Golf Junior World Championships, and the Bantam, Juvenile and Junior-aged players competed in the two-day Season-Opener for the Junior Tour’s 17-event circuit across the province.

 

“I’m very proud of all the players, parents, volunteers and staff for making the season opener a success,” stated Mike Skimson, Tournament Director for MJT Ontario. “We knew weather was going to play a determining factor throughout the weekend, and we owe a lot to the Rebel Creek team for making course conditions quite good considering our tough winter.”

 

The Low Overall and MJT Junior Boys 17-19 title was won by Dylan MacQueen, 18, of Woodstock, ON, who shot a consistent two rounds of 76-77 (153) to best the tied second place finishers by five strokes. Joel Albany, 18, of Georgetown, ON (83-75=158) and Tyler Watson, 19, of Guelph, ON (79-79=158) tied for second in the division. “I was thinking about each shot at a time and never strayed from my game plan,” said MacQueen, who receives an exemption into the International Junior Masters (IJM) in East Aurora, New York on June 23rd to 27th, 2014. “I hope to play well and finish strong at each tournament this year.” MacQueen also won the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition title in addition to the Sundog Eyewear Skills Award. Joel Albany won the Golf Town Comeback Award by shooting eight strokes better in his final round.

 

Kate Johnston, 16, of Ayr, ON shot 106-98 (204) to win the title by 29 shots over her second place competitor, Grace Mitchell, 13, of Woodstock, who shot 112-131 (233) over the two days. Johnston also took home the triple crown of the Mr. Lube Long Drive title, the Sundog Eyewear Skills Award and the Golf Town Comeback Award by shooting eight strokes better in her final round. “I knew I needed to make smart decisions considering the tough weather conditions,” stated Johnston. “I’m looking to improve on my swing consistency and short game over the course of the 2014 MJT season.”

 

The MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 Division saw Matthew Blondin, 16, from Burlington, ON (77-81=158) take the top spot for the division and secure a spot in the inaugural MJT International Players Championship (IPC), an exciting new event the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour is introducing in 2015 in the Fort Myers, Florida area. “I wasn’t thinking about winning,” added Blondin. “I just wanted to focus on the good golf I had played over the past two days and wanted to come down the stretch strong.” Nicholas Kyriakou, 15, of Waterloo, ON (82-81=163 came second, while Connor Hameily, 15, also of Burlington took third with an overall score of 169 (85-84).

 

Josh Hagey, 15, of Kitchener, ON won the division’s Mr. Lube Long Drive title while Carson DeThomasis, 15, of London, ON took home the Sundog Eyewear Skills Award. Cole Janson, 16, of Kitchener, took home the Golf Town Comeback Award.

 

An opening round of 79 in the Bantam Division helped to secure the top prize for Carter Snowden, 14, of Kitchener, who shot 161 (79-82) over the two days. “I just played smart this weekend,” stated Snowden. “I want to play consistent and progress as the year goes on, so this win really feels good.” Second place went to David Nunes, 13, of Tecumseh, ON (87-85=172) while third place went to Noah Romeo, 13, of Puslinch, ON (87-86=173). Nunes also took home the Mr. Lube Long Drive title in addition to the Sundog Eyewear Skills Award. Ryan Choi, 14, of Markham, ON won the Golf Town Comeback Award by shooting 22 strokes better in his final round.

 

In the MJT Mini Tour competition on May 3rd, four players were shortlisted for the Callaway Junior World Championships in San Diego, CA, this July; the final exemptions will be awarded once all the qualifiers across the country are completed. Divisional top finishers were as follows:

 

Bavake Sihota, 12, of Caledon, ON took home top spot with a round of 76 and is now shortlisted for the Callaway Junior Worlds Championship. Daniel Li, 11, of Toronto, ON came second with a round of 80, while Adamo Di Tullio, 12, of Brampton, ON and Krtin Udith, 12, of Toronto, tied for third with a score of 84.

 

Peter Blazevic, 10, of Burlington, ON shot 69 to take the title and another shortlisted spot in the Junior Worlds. Second place went to Beni Long, 9, of Toronto, ON (70) and third spot to Alex Long, 7, of Toronto, ON (83).

 

Taylor Kehoe, 10, of Strathroy, ON played up a division and shot 89 to take home first place and a shortlisted spot in the Junior Worlds. Hailey McLaughlin, 12, of Markham, ON shot 90 to come second, while Emily Harlond, 11, of Amaranth, ON shot 112 to come third.

 

Kristy Mitchell, 9, of Woodstock, ON shot 125 to take the Atom Girls title and a shortlisted spot in the Junior Worlds. Second place finisher Peyton Costabile, 9, of Ayr, ON came second with a round of 137.

 

To view the full leaderboard and final results for the Junior Tour, please click here. 

For the MJT Mini Tour, please click here.

To view and download images of the winners, please email jrtour@maplejt.com

 

The next Junior Tour stop on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in Ontario is the MJT Junior Worlds Qualifier at Mystic Golf Club in Ancaster on May 10 and 11, and the next MJT Mini Tour stop is July 5 at Carlisle Golf Club in Carlisle. For more information please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

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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 CONTACTS:

Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour: Elaine Denton, Director of Marketing and Administration   edenton@maplejt.com   1-877-859-GOLF 
 
Boilingpoint Group: Steve Kim   skim@boilingpointgroup.com   1-604-315-2846