Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 20-21, 2015
Winnipeg, MB

Opening round of 66 secures MJT Prodigy Series win for Trstenjak

Winnipeg, MB – (June 22, 2015) – A full field of junior golfers competed in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Prodigy Series at Transcona Golf Club in Winnipeg, MB, which finally played out over the June 20th and 21st weekend after having to be re-scheduled due to poor weather two weeks prior.

Marco Trstenjak, 15, of Winnipeg, blitzed the course with an outstanding 66 on day one, and followed up with a solid 75 to shoot a three-under-par total of 141, claiming Low Overall and the MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 title by six strokes over Wesley Hoydalo, 15, of Selkirk, MB (71, 76=147). Trstenjak cited his reasons for victory as ‘keeping the ball in play and putting well’ and that he played in the event ‘because MJT is awesome.’

In MJT Junior Boys 17-19, the first place trophy went to 18-year-old Colwyn Abgrall of Niverville, MB, who shot 73-71 (144) to beat out Stacy Faron Genaille of Mafeking, MB, by six strokes. After the round, Abgrall said about his win, “Winning on Father’s Day is a great feeling and en even better gift for my dad. It is such an unbelievable feeling to get my first tournament win and hopefully I can continue playing well for the rest of the summer.”

Sylvain Ruest, 14, of Winnipeg, stole the show in the MJT Bantam Boys 13-14 division with a playoff victory over fellow Winnipegger Anthony Leicht, after both tied for the lead at 152 total score. Ruest, who shot 72-80, said, “The highlight of the tournament for me was making my eagle on seven on the first day and making the birdie putt in the playoff. I am very glad to have won my first competitive golf tournament.”

The MJT Peewee Boys division was dominated by Bailey Bjornson, 11, of Winnipeg, who fired excellent rounds of 70-73 (143) to sew up his second MJT victory, this one by 15 strokes. Bjornson said after the round that he most enjoyed making a 50 foot putt on hole five, and that he felt ‘great because I played well and had a lot of fun.’  

In the Girls divisions, Rebecca Kuik, 16, of Winnipeg, cited her tournament highlight as making eagle on the third hole on day one, and carded two solid scores of 82, 80 (162) to win the MJT Girls 15-19 title by seven strokes over another Winnipeg native, 17 year old Katherine McGlenen.

The younger Girls 14 and under title went to 10-year-old Reece Carter of St. Andrews, MB, after she shot 86-90 (182) to win by eight strokes over Kate Gregoire of Ste Anne, MB. When asked about how she felt winning her division title Carter said, “I feel proud about myself because I work hard every day. The highlight was winning on Father’s Day for my dad.”

Age -eligible players now shortlisted for MJT Team Canada to the Srixon International Junior Classic in Australia are Rebecca Kuik and Marco Trstenjak. Official invitations will be sent out once qualifying finishes across the country. Players also competed in Skills Competitions where the divisional winners were as follows:

Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition winners:

U15 Girls: Kate Gregoire • Ste Anne, MB
Girls: Katherine McGlenen • St Charles CC • Winnipeg, MB
Peewee Boys: Bailey Bjornson • Niakwa Country Club • Winnipeg, MB
Bantam Boys: Brent Ingram • Elmhurst G&CC • West St Paul, MB
Juvenile Boys: Marco Trstenjak • Larter's at St. Andrews • Winnipeg, MB
Junior Boys: Scott Lemon • Pheasant Glen GC • Winnipeg, MB

Sligo Closest-to-the-Pin Competition winners:

Peewee Boys: James Hooton • Elmhurst • Winnipeg, MB
Bantam Boys: Nicholas Fernandes • Niakwa Golf and Country Club • Winnipeg, MB
Juvenile Boys: Zak Bannatyne • Links at the Lake • Winnipeg, MB
Junior Boys: Colwyn Abgrall • Maplewood Golf Club • Niverville, MB

Golf Town Comeback Award winners for best second day improvement in score:

U15 Girls: Hayley Shanks • Shilo Golf and Country Club • Brandon, MB
Girls: Rebecca Kuik • Niakwa Country Club • Winnipeg, MB
Peewee Boys: Carter Johnson • Rossmere • Winnipeg, MB
Bantam Boys: Chase Ganaden • Niakwa Country Club • Winnipeg, MB
Juvenile Boys: Brett Walter • Rossmere • Winnipeg, MB
Junior Boys: Jordan Deerpalsing • Winnipeg, MB

The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event is the MJT Manitoba Series at Teulon Golf and Country Club in Teulon on July 2nd and 3rd, 2015, a qualifier for the North American Jr. Amateur Championship (NAJA) in AZ and the MJT International Team Challenge in Niagara Falls, ON, this September. 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.

About Prodigy Headwear:  In 1991, G&G Golf Company began by supplying quality custom accessories to the golf industry.  Gord German started the business building custom clubs, setting up shop and learning the club building trade.  After noticing a niche for custom logo’d golf items he began to build clientele in the corporate, retail and pro shop areas.  He added on items such as divot tools, towels, umbrellas and golf bags that expanded the business rapidly, through all of this, his commitment to service and quality has not wavered in the company's 21 years of business. The Prodigy headwear line is one of their lines.  G&G is owned and operated by both Gord and Cori German and is currently working with about 1,500 active accounts across Canada, United States and Australia.  http://gandg.ca/content/

MEDIA CONTACT: Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour: Elaine Denton, Director of Marketing and Administration   edenton@maplejt.com   1-877-859-GOLF