Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 25-26, 2016
Burlington, ON

DiMarcantonio, Kleiman and Ruby qualify for International Players Championship at MJT’s Hidden Lake stop

Burlington, ON – (June 27, 2016) – Fantastic weather greeted the players on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour this past weekend at Hidden Lake Golf Club in Burlington, ON, where competition played out on the Old Course for division titles plus exemptions into the International Players Championship (IPC) presented by Miura Golf at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course in Jasper, Alberta, this August. 

“The course was in fantastic shape with very little rain over the past four weeks and we saw solid play in all six divisions with some excellent scoring,” said Mike Skimson, PGA Professional and MJT Tournament Director. “Special thanks to ClubLink and to Chris Dominuk, Events Coordinator at Hidden Lake, and John Cormier, the Director of Operations.”

Playing up a division was the MJT Junior Girls 15-19 Division clear winner, Alyssa DiMarcantonio, 13, of Maple, ON, who shot a two-under-par final round of 69 (73, 69=142), earning an IPC exemption.  Following the tournament, DiMarcantonio commented that her win was ‘a big boost of confidence heading into the Ontario Junior next week.’ She added, “I played consistently these past two days and hit some great shots. MJT is a great tour to play in and the staff are really nice.” Also closing with a stellar two-under-par 69 was runner-up Emily Ward, 16, of Niagara Falls, ON, (77, 69=146) and in third place was another player who moved up a division, Hailey McLaughlin, 14, of Markham, ON, (75, 73 =148).

In the MJT Junior Boys Division, Jacob Kleiman, 17, of Toronto, ON, won his first MJT title with fine scores of 72, 74 (146), leaving Connor Lyon, 18, of Kingston, ON, (71, 79=150) in the runner-up position.  Kleiman, who also receives an IPC exemption, stated afterwards, “I putted the ball well and the course fit my game. It felt really good to win my first non club-based event. These events are well run.”  Riley Conners, 19, of Listowel, ON, fired a one under par 70 on day one but an 81 on day two had him settle for third place (70, 81=150).

Bennett Ruby, 15, of Waterloo, ON, was tied after day one with Dylan Henderson, 15, also of Waterloo, in the MJT Juvenile Boys Division, with Ruby the eventual winner and IPC-exemption recipient, shooting 72, 75 (147). “I was neck-and -neck the whole time with my buddy, Dylan Henderson, right until the last three holes when I hit some clutch shots,” said Ruby, who added, “MJT always has a challenging field but it’s really good to get the experience of pressure situations.” Henderson finished 72, 79 (151) and third place went to Garrett Watson, 16, of Penetang, ON, (76, 78=154), whose brother Kylar Watson, 13, was the MJT Bantam Boys Champion.

Kylar Watson had a solid game both days shooting 76, 76 (152) to win the Bantam Boys title, and stated, “When I got a bad hole score I just forgot about it and made sure I did better – I knew if I played my game I could do well, and if lose then the other guy played really good. I feel great, I played consistently so I’m happy.” Justin Chong, 13, of Mississauga, ON, was runner-up at 79, 81 (160) and there was a tie for third place at 164 total score between Charlie Smith, 13, of Carlisle, ON, (81, 83) and Kyle Hameliy, 14, of Burlington, ON (78, 86). 

In the MJT Peewee Boys Division, Andre Zhu, 9, of Richmond Hill, ON, took home the champion’s trophy with scores of 76, 74 (150) including a chip-in on hole five.  “This is my back-to-back MJT title – I’m excited,” said Zhu, who beat runner-up Owen Kim, 11, of Oakville, ON, (76, 81=157).

Making it a family affair, Emily Zhu, 12, of Richmond Hill, was the clear winner by 18 strokes in the MJT Girls U15 Division with excellent scores of 76, 70 (146). “I had three birdies that led to an even par (70) on the second day,” said a ‘happy’ Emily. Second place was a tie between Madelin Boyd, 12, of Oshawa, ON, (85, 79=164) and Kelly Zhao, 10, of North York, ON, (85, 79=164).     

A total of 17 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 is the Golf Canada-ranked MJT - PGA of Ontario Junior Championship presented by Freedom 55 Financial at Forest City National Golf Club, in London, July 1-2, which is also a qualifier for the International Players Championship (IPC).  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