Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

July 11-12, 2015
Copetown, ON

Shea and Henderson win MJT international qualifying spots at Copetown Woods

Copetown, ON – (July 13, 2015) – It was two days of spectacular weather at Copetown Woods Golf Club this past weekend, which attributed to some very solid scores and tight competitions in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s stop in Copetown, ON. Close scores on day one led to a very exciting day two, when many of the champions in the six divisions were decided. Age-eligible players also qualified for the IMG Academy Junior World Championship Florida Challenge and the MJT Indian Wells International Players Championship.

The MJT Junior Boys champion was 17-year-old Jonathon Kerr of Cambridge, ON, who shot 79-74 (153) to come out victorious in a very tight race where first, second, and third place were all within four strokes of each other. “I made a lot of lengthy par putts and three straight birdies down the stretch on the back nine which lifted me today,” Kerr said. “It’s great to know that all my hard work paid off and I can hit the shots when it counts.”

15-year-old Eric Shea of Brandtford, ON, fired 76-72 (148) to come from behind and score a two stroke victory in the MJT Juvenile Boys division, earning Low Overall for the tournament off the blue tees and an exemption into the MJT Indian Wells International Players Championship in Palm Springs, CA, this December. “Shooting 72 today was a highlight and that tied with my lowest tournament score,” he said. “I hit a lot of fairways and greens and limited my mistakes – it feels great to win my division.”

Dylan Henderson, a 14-year-old from Waterloo, ON, shot an excellent two day score of 73-74 (147) to win by nine strokes over the rest of the MJT Bantam Boys division, and stated, “Yesterday I was one under after nine and I was hitting every fairway and green, which set me up for birdies. It feels really good to win because I got off to a slow start this season but I felt very confident going into the tournament.” Henderson now receives an exemption into the IMG Academy Junior World Championship Florida Challenge 2015.

The youngest MJT boys division of Peewee players was won by Zach Burt, 12, of Guelph, ON, who shot 85, 78 (163) for an 11-stroke victory and cited his tournament highlight as winning the closest-to-the-pin competition for his age group, adding, “I came into this tournament really wanting to win so it feels amazing!”

In the MJT Girls 15-19 division, Hansika Tathgur, 16, of Brampton, ON, pulled off her second MJT victory of the year, coming out on top of Tatiana Tait with a score of 92-85 (177). Tathgur was even with both Tait and Natasha Stasiuk after day one but finished with a five stroke lead after a hard fought second round. “I feel fantastic coming back strong on the second day after being one shot off the lead and in a three-way tie for second,” said Tathgur.

The younger girls division of U15 players saw Emily Zhu, 11, of Richmond Hill, ON, finish the tournament off with a solid 73 to win by eight shots for her first MJT victory (81-73=154). “I wanted to play in this tournament to try and qualify for the MJT National Championship at Reunion Resort in Florida,” she said. “It’s nice to win a tournament when you have a strong field – it’s really great.”  

Divisional winners of the various Skills Competitions were as follows:

Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition winners:

U15 Girls- Logan Hackett • Glen Abbey • Oakville , ON
Girls- Hansika Tathgur • Rattle Snake Point • Brampton, ON
Peewee Boys- Kayden White • Whistle Bear GC • Kitchener, ON
Bantam Boys- Dylan Henderson • Whistle Bear Golf Club • Waterloo, ON
Juvenile Boys- Nathan Douglas • Thornhill G&CC • Thornhill, ON
Junior Boys- Jeff Ash  • Cambridge, ON

Sligo Closest-to-the-Pin Competition winners:

U15 Girls- Echo Chen • Station Creek • Richmond Hill, ON
Girls- Ciara Costabile • Whistle Bear Golf Club • Ayr, ON
Peewee Boys- Zach Burt • Whistle Bear GC • Guelph, ON
Bantam Boys- Dylan Henderson • Whistle Bear Golf Club • Waterloo, ON
Juvenile Boys- Anton Hung • Rattlesnake Point • Oakville, ON
Junior Boys- Blake Mackey • Walkerton GCC • Walkerton, ON

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

U15 Girls- Hannah Meloche • Sutton Creek Golf • Windsor, ON
Girls- Madeleine Gehan • Whistle Bear GC • Kitchener, ON
Peewee Boys- Elian Infante • Mississauga, ON
Bantam Boys- Matthew Ding • BraeBen Mississauga • Mississauga , ON
Juvenile Boys- Matt Sommerville • Rebel Creek Golf Club • Baden, ON
Junior Boys- Blake Mackey • Walkerton GCC • Walkerton, ON

The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event in Ontario is the MJT Players Championship at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, July 27-28, which is ranked by Golf Canada and is also a qualifier for AJGA Performance Based Entries as well as the MJT Indian Wells Players Championship 2015. For more information or to register please visit www.maplejt.com.

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