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Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA Professionals

Press Release

July 25-27, 2016
Surrey, BC

Zalli brothers both shoot five-under-par in MJT Odlum Brown Classic

Six MJT-PGA of BC Junior Champions crowned in 54-hole event

Surrey, BC – (July 27, 2016) – Fantastic golfing weather and a course in pristine condition were enjoyed this past week by the 100 junior golfers who competed in the 11th annual MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship, a major ranked event on Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour, the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT). The 54 hole event started out July 25 on the Canal Course at Northview Golf Course in Surrey, B.C., with a cut after 36 holes for the final round on the Ridge Course on July 27, and juniors were competing for titles in six divisions in the Professional Golfers’ Association of British Columbia-endorsed tournament, as well as the chance to qualify for both the International Players Championship (IPC) presented by Miura Golf in Jasper, AB, and for MJT Team BC to the International Team Challenge presented by Freedom 55 Financial in Niagara Falls, ON.

The Zalli brothers from Vancouver, BC, demonstrated their family’s golfing prowess by both winning their respective age divisions with exactly the same score of five-under-par 211 for the three days.

In the MJT Junior Boys 17-19 division, Christian Zalli, 17, fired outstanding rounds of 71, 70, 70 to claim Low Overall from the blue tees and the MJT Odlum Brown-PGA of BC Junior Boys Champion’s trophy, saying, “I played well, but the key to my winning was my poise and control and trying to stay calm even when things didn’t go my way. I trust my game and know it will pull me through.” Runner-up in Junior Boys was North Vancouver’s Tyler Leclair, 19, who finished six strokes back with solid scores of 72, 71, 74 (217), while third place went to Nik Federko, 17, of Kelowna, BC (76, 72, 74=222).

Ilirian Zalli, 14, shot similarly outstanding scores of 71, 68, 72 from the white tees to be crowned the MJT Odlum Brown-PGA of BC Bantam Boys Champion. “The guys in my group were playing well so to pull out a win in this event is very relieving,” he said. “The atmosphere at MJT tournaments is great, the courses are always spectacular and the tournaments always run smoothly. This is my third consecutive win on the MJT this year and it’s a streak I hope to preserve for a long time.” First round leader, Leo Harper, 13, of Burnaby, BC, finished 69, 73, 75 (217) to place second in the division, and there was a tie for third at 220 between Brycen Ko, 12, of Richmond, BC (74, 69, 77) and Bailey Bjornson, 13, of Surrey, BC (70, 73, 77).

Putting together two brilliant rounds of 69 from the blue tees was the MJT Odlum Brown-PGA of BC Juvenile Boys Champion, Andrew Spalti, 16, of Vancouver, who came from behind to clinch the title by two strokes (76, 69, 69=214) over joint runners-up Keith Ng, 16, of Richmond, who carded the low score for the tournament of 67 (76, 67, 73=216) and 2015 division Champion, Khan Lee, 16, of Surrey, (69, 74, 73=216). “Putting was key – I lost it in the first round and found it the second and third day,” Spalti said afterwards. “It feels great as this is the biggest MJT win of mine.”

The MJT Odlum Brown-PGA of BC Peewee Boys Champion was Luke Quanson, 12, who made the trip from Edmonton, Alberta, worth his while by winning the title with solid scores of 73, 70, 83 (226), and stated, “The key was to play smart golf and take one shot at a time. It came down to the last hole. I was thinking – if you don’t win, might as well have fun!” Benjamin Kang, 12, of Vancouver, came in second with scores of 76, 73, 81 (230) and 10-year-old Ryan Vest of Vernon, BC, came in third (75, 77, 82=234).

Excellent scoring from Shirin Anjarwalla, 16, of Nanaimo, BC, handed her the MJT Odlum Brown-PGA of BC Girls 15-19 Champion’s title after she fired blistering rounds of 72, 70, 71 (213) to finish at three-under-par. “I feel great – it feels good to play three solid tournament rounds,” she said. “All the staff and volunteers were amazing and I felt at home during the whole event.” Runner-up was Shania Remandaban, 17, of Coquitlam, BC, who shot 76, 74, 70 (220) and 13-year-old Victoria Liu, the first-round leader who plays up a division, finished third with scores of 71, 76, 74 (221).

Recently arrived from Australia, MJT newcomer, Emma Yang, 13, of Langley, BC, claimed her second MJT title and the Odlum Brown- PGA of BC U15 Girls Championship by three strokes over 12-year-old Chaewon Baek, also of Langley. Yang, who shot 74, 70, 78 (222) said, “I just focused on every shot. I feel really great to win the second MJT tournament in a row.” Baek finished 70, 73, 82 (225) and two strokes back in third place was Angela Zhang, 14, of Vancouver, (77, 79, 81=237).

Members who qualified for MJT Team BC to the International Team Challenge in Ontario were Anjarwalla, Spalti and LeClair while the eligible qualifiers for the IPC in Jasper were Yang, Remandaban and both Zalli brothers. MJT veteran Bethany Ma of Vancouver, 18, playing in her last MJT event, won the Miura Sportsmanship Award for outstanding attitude and etiquette. And in addition, eighteen other prizes were awarded to Longball 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.

The next MJT event in the province is the MJT Ford Series at Predator Ridge Golf Resort in Vernon on August 22 and 23, which has rare direct qualifying spots for members into the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf at The Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix, AZ, this November.  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 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.

About Odlum Brown Limited: Odlum Brown Limited is an independent, BC-based, full-service investment firm providing disciplined investment advice and objective research with a singular focus on clients. Established in 1923, the firm offers a full range of investment products including equities, fixed income, mutual funds and GIC’s; and financial, retirement and estate planning through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Odlum Brown Financial Services Limited. For more information visit www.OdlumBrown.com Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund.

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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