Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 13-14, 2015
St. Andrews by-the-Sea, NB

Ross rules at MJT’s Algonquin stop in New Brunswick

St. Andrews, NB – (June 15, 2015) – The Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), Canada’s number-one played Junior Golf Tour, made its first-ever stop at the beautiful Algonquin Golf Course in St. Andrews, NB, this past weekend, where players were competing for titles in six divisions in the Golf New Brunswick-ranked event, as well as the chance to be shortlisted for MJT Team Canada to Australia this October.

Calvin Ross, 16, of Fredericton, NB, won Low Overall and the MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 title after firing 75, 73 (148) to win by 11 strokes over Mario Lajoie, 16, of St-Antoine Nord, NB (82, 77=159). “It’s a big accomplishment to win with a strong field like this week,’ said Ross. “The MJT always puts on good tournaments and this was good practice for provincials here in two weeks time.”  Third place in the division went to Sam Reid, 16, of Moncton, NB (85, 78=163).

The MJT Junior Boys 17-19 champion was Alexandre Belanger, 17, of St-Jacques, NB, who shot solid rounds of 80, 74 (154) to successfully hold off three others who all tied for second place at 163 total score -  Brandon Pierce, 18, of St. Andrews, Danek Hadley, 17, of Bathurst, NB, and Alexandre Paillard, 18, of Edmundston, NB. Belanger, who said his par on number eight on day two was his tournament highlight, as he ‘put it three inches from the pin for a par from 45 yards in the big rough,’ said that to win was “a good feeling, a great way to start the season!”

In the MJT Bantam Boys 13-14 division, the winner was Ewan Kelly, 14, of Beaver Bank, NS, who carded 80, 86 (166) to win by two strokes over Isaac Darling, 14, of Rothesay, NB (83, 85=168). John Mosher, 14, of Halifax, NS, came in third place (82, 91=173).

11-year-old Owen Mullen, of Truro, NS, posted excellent scores of 75, 76 (151) to run away with the MJT Peewee Boys title. Second and third place in the division went to Jakob Lorefice, 11, of Antigonish, NS (80, 88=168) and Marc-Andre Gaudet, 11, of St-Ignace, NB, (83, 89=172) respectively.                     

Claire Konning, 17, of Indian Mountain, NB, put together steady rounds of 83, 88 (171) to beat runner-up Laura Jones, 16, of Berry Mills, NB, by two strokes for the MJT Girls division title. “I saved par yesterday from 50 feet,” said Konning. “Driving the ball well off the tee and putting myself in position to make pars was key to winning.” Laura Wesselius, 16, of Intervale, NB, came in third (94, 96=190).

The eligible players now shortlisted for MJT Team Canada to compete in the Srixon International Junior Classic in Australia later this year are Ross and Belanger.

Divisional winners of the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition, Sligo Closest-to-the-Pin Competition and Golf Town Comeback Awards were as follows:

Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition Winners

Girls: Mackenzie Scott • Kingswood • Upper Hampstead, NB
Peewee Boys: Daniel Kirby • Kingswood • Woodstock, NB
Bantam Boys: Isaac Darling • Riverside G&CC • Rothesay, NB
Juvenile Boys: Alex LeBlanc • Fox Creek • Dieppe, NB
Junior Boys: Brandon Pierce • Algonquin golf course • St. Andrews, NB

Sligo Closest-to-the-Pin Competition Winners

Girls: Laura Wesselius • Petitcodiac Valley golf & Country Club • Intervale, NB
Peewee Boys: Keegan Miller • Hampton Golf Club • Quispamsis, NB
Bantam Boys: Isaac Darling • Riverside G&CC • Rothesay, NB
Juvenile Boys: Alex Goodyear • Kingswood GC • New Maryland, NB
Junior Boys: Dylan Chase • Country Meadows GC • Brigg's Corner, NB

Golf Town Comeback Award Winners

Girls: Laura Jones • Country Meadows GC • Berry Mills, NB
Peewee Boys: Keegan Miller • Hampton Golf Club • Quispamsis, NB
Bantam Boys: Nathan Hogan • Gowan Brae Golf and Country Club • Bathurst, NB
Juvenile Boys: James MacDonald • Country Meadows • Moncton, NB
Junior Boys: Brandon Cormier • bouctouche • Sainte Marie De Kent, NB

The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in Atlantic Canada runs July 6th and 7th at Ken-Wo Country Club in Wolfville, NS. Open to all junior golfers, this event is also a qualifier for the North American Junior Amateur (NAJA) in Phoenix, AZ, this December. 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 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 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: Elaine Denton, Director of Marketing and Administration   edenton@maplejt.com   1-877-859-GOLF