Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

August 29-30, 2015
Waterloo, ON

Seven in a row for Sehra at MJT’s Grey Silo stop

Waterloo, ON – (August 31, 2015) – Great weather greeted all 87 players for the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Ontario season finale at the well manicured Grey Silo Golf Course in Waterloo on August 29th and 30th, and there were tight races in all six divisions with just one shot victories in Girls U19, Boys U19, Boys U17 and Boys U15, and a six hole playoff in Boys U13.

Only one bogey was made between the two players during the long playoff in the MJT U13 Peewee Boys division which culminated in Shawn Sehra winning his seventh MJT event in a row after the 12-year-old prodigy from Windsor, ON, had shot 73-70 (143) to tie for first place in the division with Beni Long, 10, of Toronto (72-71=143). Third place went to Zach Burt, 12, of Guelph, ON, who shot 80-81 (161).

It was great to have 24 girls registered in the tournament, with Hailey Katona, 13, from Tilbury ON, playing up a division and claiming the MJT U19 Girls title with solid scores of 72-78 (150). “I played well the first day, I was attacking pins and making putts,” she said afterwards. “I like the tour and the course.” Runner-up was Alexa Naumovski, 17, of Hornby, ON, who lost by one stroke after shooting 79-72 (151). Third place went to Cynthia Zhao, 15, of Toronto (76-79=155).

The MJT U15 Girls champion was 11-year-old Taylor Kehoe of Strathroy, ON, who shot 74-75 (149) to win by seven strokes over Shannon Coffey, 14, of Windsor. “I hit a bunker shot to about two feet, and on 16 I hit my eight iron to five feet and made my birdie putt,” Kehoe said. “I feel good and happy because I put together two good rounds.” Emily Zhu, 11, of Richmond Hill fell short after her first round lead to place third (73-88=161).

MJT U19 Junior Boys champion was Paul Sung, 17, from Richmond Hill, ON, who claimed his first MJT victory in his final junior tournament after a strong closing round, firing 75-71 (146). “It’s my last MJT event,” he said. “My tee shots were down the middle of the fairway and my iron shots were good. It feels good to win my first title.” Sung held off Waterloo native Evan Aikens-Armbruster, 17, who came second in the division with a score of 77-70 (147). Consistent rounds of 76-76 (152) gave third place to Daniel Ivanouski, 18, of Denfield, ON.

‘Taking the tournament one hole at a time and focusing on making the lowest score possible in whatever situation I was in’ made Cam Kellett, 15, of London ON, victorious in the MJT U17 Juvenile Boys division with a two day score of 74-75 (149) - his first MJT win. “It’s nice to finally pick up a win on this tour and I feel like never giving up finally paid off,” he said. Runner-up was Sam Manfredi, 16, of St. Thomas, ON, who shot 71-79 (150), while 15-year-old Ryan Trocchi of London came in third (80-72=152).

More tight races ran in the MJT U14 Bantam Boys division where Ranen Oomen-Danckert of Mono, ON, finished as champion for the first time after firing 75-80 (155). “I hit a lot of greens day one and didn’t miss any short putts, and day two I grinded out the back nine,” he said afterwards, adding, “I feel great – it’s my first win so it’s extra special.” Kylar Watson, 13, of Penetang, ON, came in second with a two day score of 78-78 (156), and third place was taken by Dylan Henderson, 14, of Waterloo, who shot  79-78 (157).

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

Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition:

15-19 Girls: Hailey Katona • Tilbury Golf Club • Tilbury, ON
Peewee Boys: Shawn Sehra • Roseland Golf & Curling Club • Windsor, ON
Bantam Boys: Jakson Kirk • Elmira Golf Club • Alma, ON
Juvenile Boys: Ryan Trocchi • West Haven Golf & Country Club • London, ON
Junior Boys: Michael Carr • Brampton Golf Club • Mississauga, ON

Sligo Closest-to-the-Pin Competition:

U15 Girls: Taylor Kehoe • West Haven golf and Country Club • Strathroy, ON
15-19 Girls: Tatiana Tait • Whistle Bear • Waterloo, ON
Peewee Boys: Shawn Sehra • Roseland Golf & Curling Club • Windsor, ON
Bantam Boys: Ranen Oomen-Danckert • Shelburne Golf and Country Club • Mono, ON
Juvenile Boys: Nathan Wiersma • Whistle Bear • Waterloo, ON
Junior Boys: Jared Kuthe • BraeBen GC • Mississauga, ON

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

15-19 Girls: Madeleine Gehan • Whistle Bear GC • Kitchener, ON
Peewee Boys: Alex Long • Toronto, ON
Bantam Boys: Jakson Kirk • Elmira Golf Club • Alma, ON
Juvenile Boys: Alexander Turchan • Westmount G&CC • Conestogo, ON
Junior Boys: Troy Winger • Dutton Meadows • Dutton, ON

MJT members in the province have now earned valuable Cleveland Golf Order of Merit (OOM) points throughout the season and await invitations to the prestigious MJT Boston Pizza National Championship at Reunion Golf Resort, Kissimmee, FLA, November 6th to 8th, where a number of Division 1 college coaches will be in attendance. 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 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 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.
 

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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