Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

August 28-29, 2017
Whistler, BC

Ko comes out on top in MJT Whistler Junior Championship

Whistler, BC – August 30, 2017 – Brycen Ko, 14, of Richmond, BC, had the most impressive scores after firing a five-under-par two-day total of 139 at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Whistler Junior Championship presented by Prodigy in Whistler, BC, which played out on the superb Arnold Palmer-designed Whistler Golf Club on August 28 and 29.  

Hot weather and undulating greens on a course in fantastic condition were the features of the event, where titles in eight divisions were up for grabs as well as direct spots into the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas to be played at Reunion Resort in Orlando, FLA, November 10 to 12, 2017. The first of these invitations was won by Ko, who claimed the MJT Bantam Boys 13-14 title with his stellar rounds of 70-69 for a nine-stroke victory over Riley Lai, 14, of Vancouver, BC.

“Staying calm was key to the victory because if I didn’t, things could easily have gotten out of hand for me,” Ko said. “My highlight was making a 20-foot putt on number nine after double bogeying hole six and bogeying 7.”

In the Juvenile Boys 15-16 Division, Cole Wilson, 16, of Kelowna, BC, played great golf for two days with rounds of 73,72 (145) to win by eight strokes over Brandon Frechette, 16, of Lake Country, BC. Wilson recovered from an opening triple bogey on the first hole of the tournament, but steadied himself, and played great golf for the remaining 35 holes.

Brandon Chai, 17, of Vernon, BC, captured the MJT Junior Boys 17-18 title by five strokes over Christopher Dale, 17, of Mission, BC. Chai’s two-round total of 150 (72,78) was enough to win for the second time this season on the MJT. He said, “This week the key for me was my wedges and short irons, the course is not that long, and the greens were really firm so it puts a lot of pressure on the scoring clubs.”

Excellent scores of 71,73 (144) in the MJT Peewee Boys 11-12 Division handed to Hoselton trophy to Ryan Vest, 11, of Vernon, BC, who won the title by nine strokes over Jay Xu, 10, of Burnaby, BC. The highlight for Vest was ‘hitting an 80-yard wedge to a foot for a birdie.’

In the new MJT Collegiate Men’s 19-23 Division, it was MJT veteran, Marcus Brown, 21, of Surrey, BC, who continued his great play and ran away with the title with scores of 73-73 (146), his third win on the MJT this season. The key was his ‘wedge play and putting’ according to Brown. Davide Kaiser, 19, of Vernon, BC, was runner-up.

Coco Pei, 12, of Surrey, won for the second time in five days on the MJT, after her win last week in the Mini Tour National Championship at Tsawwassen Springs. Pei, who shot 74,72 (146) to win the MJT Girls U15 title over Tina Jiang, 12, of Richmond, BC, said, “My putting and chipping, they were good - I sank a lot of putts, and saved a lot of pars with good chipping.”

In the MJT 15-18 Girls Division, scores of 73-77 (150) from Leah John, 17, of Vancouver, BC, captured her second MJT victory this season by two strokes over Emily Xu, 15, of Burnaby, BC. John said, “This tournament was another great event! The greens were tricky, fast and exciting. I enjoyed the challenge and precision the course demanded. I started off with a strong score and was feeling good going into the second day. However, with Emily Xu putting out a great score and I struggling a bit more I was definitely feeling the pressure. Overall it was nice to get the job done and enjoy another great tournament at a beautiful course.”

In the new MJT Collegiate Women’s 19-23 Division, another MJT veteran, Sarah Lawrence, 19, of Duvall, WA shot rock-solid rounds of 71,76 (147) to win the title over Bethany Ma, 19, of Vancouver, BC.

Coco Pei, Leah John and Cole Wilson also receive direct exemptions into the MJT National Championship with their victories. Full results and overall event highlights are posted on the MJT website HERE, which shows winners of the Miura ‘Respect the Game’ Award, PLYR Long Drive, PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin.

The final MJT event in the province this season is the MJT Ford Fall Series at Mayfair Lakes Golf Club in Richmond, October 7 to 8. 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 presented nationally by Boston Pizza and supported by valued Premier, Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT hosts more than 70 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for 7-12 year olds, the Collegiate Tour for 19-23 year olds, and multi-day events for competitive players aged 11 to 18 which are also qualifiers 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. For more information on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, please visit www.maplejt.com

About Prodigy Golf: G&G Golf Company began by supplying quality custom accessories to the golf industry.  Gord German started the business building custom clubs, setting up shop and learning the club building trade.  After noticing a niche for custom logo’d golf items he began to build clientele in the corporate, retail and pro shop areas.  He added on items such as divot tools, towels, umbrellas and golf bags that expanded the business rapidly, through all of this, his commitment to service and quality has not wavered in the company's 21 years of business.  G&G is owned and operated by both Gord and Cori German and is currently working with about 1,500 active accounts across Canada, United States and Australia. www.gandg.ca

MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Hood, Manager of Marketing & Administration, Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour chood@maplejt.com 1-877-859-GOLF  www.maplejt.com.