Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

August 27-28, 2016
Saskatoon, SK

Full field from five different provinces finish off season at MJT’s Ilta Grain event

Saskatoon, SK – (August 29, 2016) – A packed field of 95 junior golfers from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia finished off their season at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Golf Saskatchewan Order of Merit Championship presented by Ilta Grain at The Willows Golf Club in Saskatoon, SK, on August 27 and 28, vying for six division titles and direct exemptions for members into the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas at The Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix, AZ, this November.

Two players tied for Low Overall off the blue tees at two-under-par 142 for the two days: Tayden Wallin in Junior Boys and Aidan Goodfellow in Juvenile Boys, while Low Overall in the Girls divisions went to Mary Parsons, who finished at three-under-par 141.

Wallin, 17, of Humboldt, SK, who fired 71, 71 for a four stroke victory over runner-up Roman Timmerman, 17, of Saskatoon, (72, 74), said, “I played smart and didn’t make a lot of mistakes. It was very windy but some holes were pretty ‘getable.’ This win is a nice way to end the season.” There was a tie for third place in Junior Boys at 150 total score between Cole Ferguson, 18, of Winnipeg, MB, and Connor Tate, 17, of Kindersley, SK, who both shot back-to-back rounds of 75.           

In Juvenile Boys, Goodfellow, 16, made the trip from Parksville, BC, worth his while by firing 70, 72 for a one stroke victory over fellow BC resident, Callum Davison, 16, of Duncan, (70, 73=143). “I feel very good about winning – I had a good match with my competitor Callum Davison and that made it really fun,” he said. Low round for the tournament secured a third place finish in the division for Chandler McDowell, 16, of Springbrook, AB (77, 67=144).

The MJT Girls 15-19 Champion, Mary Parsons of Delta, BC, carded outstanding scores of 68, 73 for an 11-stroke winning margin. “I chose to play MJT because they are good tournaments and colleges trust this tour,” she said afterwards, noting that she had played the course ‘smart’ since she didn’t get in a practice round and ‘course management was key.’ “I feel great after winning this tournament to close off my season which has already been awesome.”  Second place went to Taylor Stone, 16, of Calgary, AB, who shot 78, 74 (152) and third place to Marissa Naylor, 18, of Winnipeg, MB (79, 78        =157).

Next up was MJT Bantam Boys, where the winner was Colby Friedrich, 14, of Battleford, SK, after he shot 75, 75 (150) for a six stroke victory over Jayden Dudas, 14, of Estevan, SK (82, 74=156). “I felt like I over-powered the Bridges course, hitting driver close to greens,” said Friedrich about this third MJT win of the season and second in a row. “It felt good to win back-to-back tournaments; it builds confidence.” Samuel Bratvold, 14, of Medicine Hat, AB, came in third place (80, 78=158).

It took a playoff to determine the MJT Peewee Boys champion, after Cort Tunall, 12, of Kindersley, SK (82-76) and Will Blake, 12, of Regina, SK (81-77), tied for the lead at 158 total score. Tunall triumphed in the playoff, stating, “It was mostly just luck; it feels pretty good because I lost in a playoff last year.” Third place on the podium went to Brett Leonard, 11, of Corman Park, SK (81, 82=163).

And last but not least, the sixth division champion was in Girls U15, where Moose Jaw’s Raylyn Schmidt, 14, claimed her fourth MJT title, shooting 84, 92 (176), and credited ‘my hard work and dedication to the sport I love.’ Second place was taken by Sarah Grieve, 13, of Saskatoon (99, 95=194) and third by Carey McLean, 14, of Deer Valley, SK (94, 103=197).

Each division champion now receives a direct exemption into the MJT National Championship in AZ, November 11 to 13, without having to wait to qualify via the MJT Cleveland Golf Order of Merit. In addition, a total of 18 prizes were awarded to Longball Long Drive, MJT Closest-to-the-Pin, and Golf Town Comeback Competition Winners in the tournament whose names are all listed on the tournament page on the MJT website.

This event marks the final MJT stop in the province for this season. A circuit of five tournaments for competitive juniors will once again run in 2017 and early bird memberships will be available in January. For more information, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

About Ilta Grain: Ilta Grain is a leading exporter of quality grains throughout the world. With six locations in Saskatchewan - Swift Current, Cutknife, North Battleford (two plants), Saskatoon and Belle Plaine (under construction), Ilta handles all types and varieties of pulses and oilseeds. We source directly from the growers, process and clean the products at our locations, and ship our products worldwide. We have control throughout the entire process, from the farm gate to the end customer – allowing us to keep to our high standards during every step of the way.  Click here for more information.

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