Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

July 27-29, 2015
Surrey, BC

8-under par, playoffs and more at the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship

For Immediate Release                                                                                             * Full results link

Surrey, BC – (July 30, 2015) – Some outstanding scores were recorded during the Odlum Brown Classic, a major ranked event on Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour, the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), which played out in great weather on Northview Golf Course in Surrey, B.C., July 27th to 29th, starting on the Canal Course with a cut after 36 holes for the final round on the Ridge Course.

Kim Abbott, Odlum Brown Limited’s Vice President of Sales and Business Development, was on hand to present awards to top finishers out of the 110 junior golfers, who were competing for titles in six divisions in the Professional Golfers’ Association of British Columbia (PGA of BC)-endorsed tournament, plus exemptions into the North American Junior Amateur in Phoenix, AZ, and MJT Indian Wells International Players Championship in Palm Springs, CA.

In the Girls division, not only were 12 and 14 year olds playing up in Girls 15-19, but they were shooting under par rounds each day, and it took eight under-par from 12-year-old Euna Han of Coquitlam, BC (69-70-69=208), and 14-year-old Tiffany Kong of Vancouver, BC (68-69-71=208) to result in a tie for first place, forcing a playoff that resulted in Kong being crowned the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Girls Champion. “I chipped in for eagle on the 18th hole during round one and am very proud about my results after practicing a lot,” she said afterwards. “This event was a great opportunity to see if I have anything to work on before the Canadian Junior Girls in Saskatchewan. I am very proud about my results and how I played to earn this place.” Kathrine Chan, 15, of Richmond, BC, took third just one stroke back with outstanding scores of 67, 69, 73 (209).

Excellent scores of 71, 71, 71 (213) won the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Boys Champion’s title for Connor McLellan, 19, of Chilliwack, BC, who cited this rock-solid consistency as the reason for his victory. “Northview is a course I love. When I began to falter I would come back nicely with pars or birdies. I wasn’t feeling very good about my game this week, but seeing three 71’s in a row makes me feel better and excited for future events again.” Runner-up was Harry Bains, 17, of Surrey, (73, 75, 70=218) and a brilliant 67 on day two vaulted Tyler Leclair, 18, of North Vancouver, into third place (80, 67, 72=219).

MJT veteran Khan Lee triumphed as MJT Juvenile Boys Champion after the 15-year-old from Surrey fired 70-71-74 (215) for a 10 stroke victory over runner-up Andy Kim, 15, of Langley, BC, who had played a consistent three days going 75-75-75 (225) but could not catch up to Lee’s under-par first two rounds. “Everything was great,” said Lee. “My putting was better than before and my game plan was solid. I feel happy for winning my divisions by a lot of strokes and on my home course.”

Braeden Cooper, 14, of Vernon, BC, deservedly claimed the MJT Bantam Boys Champion’s title, securing his first MJT win with great scores of 72-71-73 (216). Sean Buckles, 14, of Vancouver tailed Cooper the whole way but lost sight of him on the last day going 71-74-78 (223), while Andy Jang, 14, of Langley came third in the division after shooting 73-79-81 (233). Cooper quoted after the event, “I kept out of trouble the three days – I only missed three fairways. This tournament was a good chance to size up against my age group in BC and it feels awesome to win, all my work finally paid off.”

Stellar play in the MJT Girls U15 division saw Julie Ju, 14, from Vancouver, win with a three day score of 77-75-79 (231). Ju held off the competition by nine strokes, with runner-up Luyang Jiang of Langley battling back on the third day but still falling short going 83-81-76 (240). “I feel good and proud but I have to improve,” Ju stated.

Richmond prodigy Brycen Ko, gave himself the best birthday present by winning the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Peewee Boys Champion’s title. Ko turned 12 on July 29th and won his third MJT Junior tour title of the season with a fantastic three-day score of 220 (78-69-73), a commanding 27 stroke victory over the rest of the field. Ko said after his win, “I played in this event to gain experience and because MJT is a really well-run organization. My tournament highlight was having a good streak of birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie.”

The 18 winners of the on-course competitions were as follows:

Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition Winners

U15 Girls: Julie (Youn Soo) Ju • West Vancouver, BC
15-19 Girls: Hannah Lee • Northview Golf & Country Club • Surrey, BC
Peewee Boys: Brycen Ko • Shaughnessy G&CC • Richmond, BC
Bantam Boys: Sean Buckles • Seymour • North Vancouver, BC
Juvenile Boys: Andrew Spalti • Shaughnessy G&CC • Vancouver, BC
Junior Boys: Owen Xiong • Redwoods golf course • West Vancouver, BC

Sligo Closest-to-the-Pin Competition Winners

U15 Girls: Sienna Kraus • Swaneset • Maple Ridge, BC
15-19 Girls: Belinda Lin • Morgan Creek GC • Surrey, BC
Peewee Boys: Luke Quanson • The Derrick Golf and Winter Club • Edmonton, AB
Bantam Boys: Sean Buckles • Seymour • North Vancouver, BC
Juvenile Boys: Davide Kaiser • Kelowna Golf and Country Club • Kelowna, BC
Junior Boys: Tanvir Kahlon • Core Golf Academy, Orlando, FL • Surrey, BC

Golf Town Comeback Award Winners

U15 Girls: Emily Xu • Redwoods • Burnaby, BC
15-19 Girls: Ji Na Choi • Port Moody, BC
Peewee Boys: Brycen Ko • Shaughnessy G&CC • Richmond, BC
Bantam Boys: Eddie Wang • Northland GC • North Vancouver, BC
Juvenile Boys: Luke Rodrigue • Meadow Gardens • Anmore, BC
Junior Boys: Tyler Leclair • Seymour G&CC • North Vancouver, BC

McLellan and Kong receive exemptions into the MJT Indian Wells International Players Championship and the North American Junior Amateur (NAJA) respectively.

The Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour heads to the Okanagan next for the MJT Ford Series at Predator Ridge Golf Resort in Vernon, August 10-11, 2015, which is also a qualifier for the MJT International Players Championship 2015, as well as the IMG Academy Jr. World Championship – Florida Challenge 2015.  For full details and online registration, interested juniors can visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

About Odlum Brown Limited: ABOUT ODLUM BROWN LIMITED: Odlum Brown Limited is an independent, BC-based, full-service investment firm providing disciplined investment advice and objective research with a singular focus on clients. Established in 1923, the firm offers a full range of investment products including equities, fixed income, mutual funds and GIC’s; and financial, retirement and estate planning through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Odlum Brown Financial Services Limited. For more information visit www.OdlumBrown.com Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund.

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 Tugo, 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. 

MEDIA CONTACT: MJT - Elaine Denton -  edenton@maplejt.com -  1-877-859-GOLF

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Reminder: Results for the full field in the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship at Northview GC can be found here.