Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 11-12, 2016
Red Deer County, AB

Numrich ends junior career with a win on MJT Srixon Series in Red Deer Pasitney and McMahon shortlisted for MJT Team Canada to Australia

Red Deer, AB – (June 13, 2016) – Trent Matson, MJT Tournament Director, said a special thank you to Todd Fiske and Dale Tomlinson at River Bend Golf Club in Red Deer, Alberta, for outstanding service during their hosting of the most recent Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in the province – the MJT Srixon Series - on June 11 and 12th, where the players found the challenging golf course in spectacular shape with undulating greens, causing many to groan in the scoring tent about their putting. Players were competing for titles in six divisions as well as the chance to be shortlisted for MJT Team Canada to the Srixon International Junior Classic in Australia this October.

16-year-old Cam Duffin of Red Deer, who ended up in fourth place in his division, made a Hole-in-One on number three to win a special Miura Golf Gift certificate - he said he was wishing it was next weekend at the MJT Ford Series in Spruce Grove where juniors have a chance to win a car, but he was still pretty excited. 

Red Deer juniors took first and second place in the MJT Junior Boys division, with Low Overall going to Grant Numrich, 18, who shot 75, 71 (146) to beat Michael Pruss, (73, 74=147) by one stroke. “It feels great to win!” said Numrich. “To come back after the first day is always satisfying.”  Both Pruss and his brother, Allen, were playing their last event as juniors, and are North Dakota-bound on hockey and golf college scholarships, crediting the MJT with helping develop their game.

In MJT Juvenile Boys, the title and a shortlisted spot to Australia was won by Justin Pasitney, 16, of St. Paul, AB, after he shot 79, 71 (150) for three stroke lead over both Connor Tate of Kindersley, SK    (74, 79=153) and Carter Graf, 15, of Red Deer, AB (71, 82=153). Pasitney commented, “It feels really nice to win after my 79 on the first day.  I was under par on day two which is really nice for me.”

Colby Friedrich, 14, of Battleford, SK, fired 71, 77 (148) to win the MJT Bantam boys title by five strokes over both Thomas Sluka, 12, of Canmore, AB (81, 72=153) and Ryan Hodgins, 13, of Medicine Hat, AB (79, 74=153). “I had solid ball striking and putted well,” said Friedrich. “I four-putted twice and Ryan Hodgins came within two strokes, so it was pretty close. It feels good to finally break through with my first victory on the MJT.”

Adding another trophy to the family was Colin Pasitney, 11, as he won the MJT Peewee Boys division with scores of 82, 84 (166), attributing his victory to hitting his driver well and making some putts. Second and third place on the podium went to 12-year-old Red Deer locals, Logan Graf (86, 85=171) and Cole Bergheim (89, 85=174).      

Racking up her second win in a row was Clare McMahon, 18, of Red Deer, who came back with a 79 on day two to finish at 85, 79 (164) for the MJT Girls 15-19 title and a shortlisted spot on MJT Team Canada to Australia. “I played poorly yesterday and that motivated me to play well today- it feels good to win locally,” she said. Runner-up was Sydney Weber, 17, of Carstairs, AB (83, 84=167) and third place went to Shaye Leidenius, 19, of Ponoka, AB  (81, 89=170).    

14-year-old Stephanie Chelack of Calgary, AB, who shot 90, 85 (175) to run away with the MJT Girls U15 title, stated, “Yesterday I was fighting hard against Jenna (Bruggeman).  I won at Carstairs, she won at Banff and we wanted to see who would win here. I am really excited about winning and it was a good experience.” Jenna Bruggeman, 12, of Edmonton, AB, finished second (92, 105=197) and Sydney Kostreba, 12, of Calgary, was third (108, 92=200).          

Eighteen prizes were also 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 Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in Alberta is the Golf Alberta-ranked MJT Ford Series at The Links at Spruce Grove in Spruce Grove on June 18th and 19th, a qualifier for MJT Team Alberta into the International Team Challenge (ITC) in Niagara Falls, ON, this September.  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 Srixon: Srixon is part of a worldwide brand of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI), a golf equipment company with a 70-year winning tradition and is make headlines as one of the fastest growing golf ball and golf club brands in the United States. Srixon is the Official Golf Ball of the MJT. See www.srixon.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Elaine Denton, Director of Marketing and Administration edenton@maplejt.com 1-877-859-GOLF