Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 11-12, 2016
Guelph, ON

Henderson and Katona shortlisted for Australia at MJT Srixon Series in Guelph

Guelph, ON – (June 13, 2016) – After a one-year hiatus, Canada’s number-one played Junior Golf Tour returned to Guelph Lakes Golf Club in Guelph, ON, on June 11th and 12th, running the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s MJT Srixon Series and a shortlist qualifier for MJT Team Canada to the Srixon International Junior Classic to Australia this October. MJT Tournament Director, Mike Skimson, noted, “After a very successful weekend, we plan to be back every year going forward. The golf course was in fantastic shape, well set-up to test the players in the field, and it was great to see so many new players taking part.”

Strong winds on both days had players second guessing on every shot, but there was solid play in each division with tight races, including a playoff in the Boys U15 division.

In the MJT Juvenile Boys Division, Dylan Henderson, 15, of Waterloo, ON, shot 78, 77 (155) to capture first place, overall low score, and a shortlisted spot to Australia.  Following the tournament, Henderson said, “MJT is a great experience and there are a lot of good competitors - on the back nine I was four up on Carter (Snowden) and doubled 11, then he parred to get within two, then I made a clutch putt on 13 for birdie. I feel awesome (about winning) considering it’s my first win this year and it’s a great confidence booster, even moving up a division too.”  Carter Snowden, 16, of Kitchener, ON, was the runner up (79, 78=157), and Davey Morton, 16, of Woodstock, ON, settled for third with 80, 82 (162).           

Jonathon Kerr, 18, of Cambridge, ON, triumphed as the MJT Junior Boys Champion after firing rounds of 75, 81 (156) for a one-stroke winning margin over Waterloo’s Evan Aikens-Armbruster, 17 (78, 79=157).  “Evan played really well on day two.  He made me work all the way down the stretch,” Kerr said, acknowledging the tight race between himself and Aikens-Armbruster. “The wind was extremely strong. To get the ‘W’ means a lot.” In third spot was Riley Conners, 19, of Listowel, ON, who shot 78, 82 (160). 

A tie for the lead in the MJT Bantam Boys Division saw an exciting playoff between Justin Chong, 13, of Mississauga, ON (85, 82=167) and Hayden Scott, 14, of Waterloo, ON, (81, 86=167), where Scott was the eventual winner.  “Justin had me worried, he played a great round. I feel excited and relieved (to win) - that playoff was very nerve-racking,” Scott commented following the tournament.  Third place went to Nick Cundari, 13, of North Bay, ON, (88, 80=168).       

Andre Zhu, 9, of Richmond Hill, ON, was the clear title holder for the MJT Peewee Boys with strong scores of 73, 82 155). Zhu said he felt confident through the whole tournament, he was excited to win, and that he won because of his short game. Runner-up Oliver Taillefer, 12, of Sudbury, ON, shot (85, 87=172) and Alex Campbell, 12, of Mississauga, ON, was third (105, 110=215).             

The MJT Girls 15-19 Champion’s trophy went to Hailey Katona, 14, of Tilbury, ON, who carded rock-solid back-to-back rounds of 80, 80 (160) but said she felt she could have played even better.  Katona, who is now also shortlisted for MJT Team Canada to Australia, added that she chose to play MJT because ‘it’s run well, and it’s my favourite tour.’  Runner-up spot went to Cindy Zhou, 15, of Niagara Falls, ON, who shot 82, 85 (167) and Ellis Harvie, 15, of Oakville, ON, came third (87, 86=173).

Madelin Boyd, 12, of Oshawa, ON, won first place in the MJT Girls U15 Division (82, 82=164) and said she felt very proud to win. “I don’t worry about anyone else and play against the course,” she added.  Second place was a tie between Lauren Zaretsky, 12, of Thornhill, ON (91, 86=177) and Mikayla Bourgeois, 13, of Mississauga, ON, (89, 88=177).                                                           

The final team to Australia will be announced once qualifying finishes across the country. In addition, a total of 18 prizes were also awarded to Longball Long Drive, MJT Closest-to-the-Pin and Golf Town Comeback Winners whose names are all listed on the tournament page on the MJT website.

The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in the province is the MJT Prodigy Series at Hidden Lake Golf Club in Burlington, on June 25th and 26th, which is also a qualifier for the International Players Championship (IPC) presented by Miura Golf at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper, AB, this August.  To register or 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.
 

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.

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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