Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

November 11-13, 2016
Phoenix, AZ

Canadian stars crown MJT National Champions in Phoenix Callum Davison claims Overall Title with record 12 under par

Phoenix, Arizona - (November 15, 2016) – The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) was pleased to have a couple of young Canadian stars in Max Domi from the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes and MJT alumnus Adam Cornelson from the Web.com Tour, on hand to present awards at the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf, highlighting the end of a very successful final tournament on Canada's number-one played junior golf tour this past weekend in Phoenix, AZ.

A talented field of over 100 young golfers had teed it up in the invitation-only event at The Legacy Golf Resort on November 11,12 and 13, battling to be crowned the MJT National Champion in six age divisions as well as earn AJGA Performance Based Entry (PBE) stars. There were several College coaches in attendance to scout prospective players, and add to the number of MJT members who are signing their National Letters of Intent this coming week thanks to the MJT’s College Golf program, ‘Recruit Yourself 2 College’ (RY2C).

After firing an incredible 12-under-par total, a record for this event, the gifted Callum Davison, 16, of Duncan, BC, was the Men's Overall and Juvenile Division National Champion, with rounds of 66-69-66 = 201 (-12) on the superbly conditioned Legacy course. Davison, who is awarded AJGA PBE Stars for his efforts, said, “The MJT provides me with a place to compete against some of the best golfers in Canada.” He added that a memorable moment for him was ‘hitting my three wood while on my knees because I was under a tree and it worked! I have never tried that shot in competition before but have practiced it with my driver on the range.’ Finishing second in Juvenile at 71-68-70 (209) was Eric Byun, 16, of Richmond Hill, ON, followed by Jordan Bean, 16, of Canmore, AB at 71-69-70 (210) – all under par totals.

18-year old Sarah Lawrence of Duvall, WA, shot a phenomenal final round of 66 to finish 71-76-66 (213) and claim her second MJT Girls Overall Champion’s crown and AJGA PBE stars. Lawrence said her highlight was ‘shooting five-under (66) on the final day’, including a three-hole birdie stretch on holes 13,14 and 15. She also said that the win ‘felt great, especially to win this tournament for the second time.’ “The MJT is my favorite junior tour and the Legacy Golf Resort is one of my favorite courses.” Finishing six shots back was Alicia Easthope, 18, of St. Albert, AB (77-72-70=219), followed by Sydney Scraba, 16, of Calgary, AB (75-75-78 = 228).

Kyle Leiman, 18, of Victoria, BC, played some brilliant golf for the three days and took the Junior Boys crown with a total of 207 (66-71-70). Finishing six strokes back of Leiman was Cam Kellett, 17, of London, ON, who fired consistent rounds of 70-70-73 (213), to narrowly edge the hard charging Colwyn Abgrall, 19, of Niverville, MB, (74-72-68=214) for third place in the Junior Boys Division.

14-year old Jayden Dudas of Estevan, SK, was crowned MJT Bantam Boys National Champion in dramatic fashion, carding a final round 75 (71-71-75 = 217) to hang onto the title all three days. Dudas, who said his highlight was ‘to play the first two rounds in even par’, lead going into the final round by six shots but had to battle to hold his lead after going four over on the first six holes. “The MJT is good because the college coaches come out to watch,” he said. Runner-up for the Bantam Boys Division was Eric Strick of Winnipeg, MB, (75-73-72=220) and Cole Bowering, 14, of Vancouver, BC (72-76-73=221) placed third.

Simply amazing scoring from 12-year old Hunter Thomson of Calgary, AB, guaranteed him the MJT Peewee Boys National Champion's trophy after he fired rounds of 72-70-68=210 (-3). Thomson needed to be three-under as that was his margin of victory over second place finisher, Freddy Sun, of Richmond, BC (73-72-68=213). Thomson said, “My tournament highlight was when I got an eagle on the 18th hole.  I hit a five iron from 177 yards and it went to five feet, and then I sunk the putt. I also got Long Drive on that hole too. The win means a lot to me, because it’s the first tournament I have won in the USA and the first tournament I had an under par total (-3).” He added, “I’ve made quite a few friends through the MJT, I think it has great tournaments and gives me some great competition”.  In third place, for the second year in a row, was 10-year old Ryan Vest of Vernon, BC (79-68-80=227).

In the MJT Girls U15 Division, Emily Zhu, 12, of Richmond Hill, ON, continued to dominate the National Championship, as she defended her title of last year by carding 72-74-76=222 to claim the title. Angela Arora, 12, of Surrey, BC, shot 84-77-80=241 to come second, and rounding out the top three in the Girls U15 Division was Stephanie Chelack, 14, of Calgary, AB (83-87-84=254).

MJT Team BC, comprising Elise Liu, Sarah Lawrence, Freddy Sun, Cole Bowering, Ely Overennay and Kyle Leiman, took home the Interprovincial Team Competition with a total score of 845 (-7), a 32-stroke winning margin. In this portion of the event it was the low four scores per day that counted toward the total.

All players received fantastic gifting courtesy of presenting sponsor, TaylorMade-adidas Golf, and the top finishers were rewarded with TM milled putters and gift certificates galore. full results and a photo gallery for the whole tournament can be seen by CLICKING HERE.

This event wraps up a very successful 2016 season for the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour. The 2017 MJT National Schedule will be announced in early December.

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 Canada, Golf Town 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 the adidas Group

The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around the core brands: adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade and Reebok-CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 53,000 employees and generated sales of EUR 14.5 billion in 2014.

About TaylorMade Golf Company

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, TaylorMade Golf Company sells golf equipment, footwear, apparel and accessories under the TaylorMade, adidas Golf, Adams and Ashworth brands. TaylorMade Golf Company posted 2014 sales of €913 million.

 
MEDIA CONTACT:

Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour: Elaine Denton, Director Marketing & Administration   edenton@maplejt.com   1-877-859-GOLF