Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

July 18-19, 2016
Kelowna, BC

Graham drives off with MJT Ford Series in Kelowna

Predator Ridge Team wins Interclub Competition

Kelowna, BC – (July 20, 2016) – A great day on Tuesday July 19th saw a successful finish to the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Ford Series at The Harvest Golf Club in Kelowna, BC, after an intense storm and extreme danger from lightning strikes on July 18th had forced junior golfers to battle for division titles, international exemptions, and a team interclub victory in a shortened 18 event. Gerald Wood, General Manager of Ford Motor Company - Western Canada, was the honorary starter for the tournament, and a few juniors came close to winning a 2016 Ford Focus SE in a hole-in-one contest sponsored by Ford of Canada and Orchard Ford.

Low Overall off the blue tees went to MJT Junior Boys division winner, Derek Graham, 18, of Kelowna, who fired an outstanding score of 68 to hold off runner-up Austin Bosquet, 18, of Coldstream, BC (70). “My putter really got hot on the 7th green and the really helped the rest of the day,” said Graham. “After bogeying 15 and 16 I was a little worried, but the par on 17 really put me in a good spot on 18.” Both Graham and Bosquet now qualify for MJT Team BC in the International Team Challenge at Hunters Pointe Golf Club near Niagara Falls, ON, this September. There was a tie for third place at 73 between Ryan Buchanan of Kelowna, and Tyler Leclair of North Vancouver, BC.

Brandon Chai, 15, of Coldstream, shot 71 to edge Andy Jang, 15, of Langley, BC (72), for his first MJT Juvenile Boys title. “I hit a lot of greens, especially on the front nine and my bunker play was really good when I needed it to be,” said Chai. “There are a lot of good players on this tour. I feel really good because it is my first MJT win.” Third place in the division went to Ely Overennay, 16, of Castlegar, BC, who shot 73.

Another outstanding round of 68 from the white tees won Kelowna’s Matt Hopley the MJT Bantam Boys title by six strokes. “I’m very happy that I could break 70 for my first time in a tournament and win,” said the 14-year-old. “I would really like to go down to Arizona for nationals and compete with some of the best 13 and 14 year olds in the country.” Second place in the division went Hunter Penalva, 14, of Vernon, BC, who shot 74, and there was a tie for third at 78 between Tony Li, 14, of Vancouver, and Sher Sidhu, 13, of Surrey, BC.

11-year-old Xander Bankes of Rossland, BC, came through with a solid 77 to win the MJT Peewee Boys title by three strokes over Aidyn Huchinson, 12, of St. Albert, AB. “The key for me was hitting all the fairways – I feel really good and now I want to do even better,” Bankes said afterwards. Scores of 81 had both Junwoo Nam, 12, of Abbotsford, BC, and Ryan Vest, 10, of Vernon, tied for third.

Rhiannon Jones, 18, of Westbank, BC, was the MJT Girls 15-19 winner after she fired an impressive even-par round of 72 for a five stroke victory over Haley Hewer, 19, of Penticton, BC, (77). As a result, Jones also receives a spot on MJT Team BC to the International Team Challenge. And in the younger Girls U15 division, MJT newcomer and a new Langley resident, Emma Yang, 13, carded a solid score of 82 to win by four strokes, stating, “I was happy to win this tournament because it was my first tournament in Canada.”  Second and third in this division went to Rachel Chung, 14, of Abbotsford, BC (86) and Kendra Jones-Munk, 14, of Vernon (89).                                                 

The team of Hunter Penalva, Parker Wadsworth, George Wilkins and Cole Wilson from Predator Ridge Golf Resort in Vernon won the MJT Interclub competition at the tournament with a total net score of 137, earning a free entry into the MJT Ford Series at Predator Ridge Golf Resort in Vernon this August as a result.

In addition, over a dozen prizes were awarded to Ford Long Drive, MJT Closest-to-the-Pin and Golf Town Comeback Winners in the tournament, whose names are all listed on the tournament page on the MJT website.

Juniors have another chance to win a new Ford Focus vehicle at the MJT Ford Series at Predator Ridge Golf Resort on August 22-23. In the meantime, the next BC event is the Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship at Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey on July 25-27. For more information on the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, 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, TuGo, Cleveland Golf, Srixon and Aquafina, in addition to valued Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT hosts more than 60 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