Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

August 8-10, 2017
Surrey, BC

Outstanding 15-under-par and more at MJT Odlum Brown Classic Eight MJT-PGA of BC Junior Champions crowned in 54-hole event

Surrey, BC – (August 11, 2017) – Warm weather and a course in pristine condition were enjoyed this past week by 120 junior golfers in the 12th annual MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship in Surrey, B.C., a major ranked event on Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour, the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT). The event features a three-round tournament beginning on the Canal Course at Northview Golf Club on  Tuesday August 8, with a cut after 36 holes for the final round on the Ridge Course on August 10. Juniors are competing for titles in eight divisions in the Professional Golfers’ Association of British Columbia-endorsed tournament, as well as the chance to qualify for both the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship at Reunion Resort, in Orlando, FLA, and the International Team Challenge (ITC) presented by Freedom 55 Financial in Niagara Falls, ON, and many highlights were recorded during the event.

The first highlight, after a hole-in-one on hole number three on the Canal course in round two by 16-year-old Bradley Seto of Fraserview Golf Course in Vancouver, BC, was the incredible play from 14-year-old phenomenon, Andy Luo, 14, of Burnaby, BC, who fired a 15-under-par total score of 69,66,66 (201) off the regular tees, winning him the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Bantam Boys Crown over Billy Zhang, 13, of Coquitlam, BC, who had carded rock solid rounds of 71, 68, 72 (211). Luo stated, “I feel great about winning this tournament because it was three rounds in an MJT event and I shot 69-66-66 to win by 10-strokes. The MJT staff always know what they are doing and they are always very nice, and the tournaments are also very well done and organized.”

More hot scoring was witnessed from Ben Whiton, 18, of Langley, BC, blazed his way around both courses with fantastic scores of 72,66,69 (207) for a nine-under-par total victory to claim the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Boys Champion’s trophy over Jaden Steinke, 17, of Vernon, BC. Whiton said, “It feels great! After shooting 66, I wanted to back it up with another great round, and that’s what I did, it feels amazing. The key was my iron play. I hit 16 greens the last day so it was nice to have stress free pars.”

The MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Juvenile Boys Champion was Jackson Jacob, 16, of Fort Langley, BC, who shot outstanding scores of 69,72,69 (210) to win by two strokes over Michael Wu, 16, of Victoria, BC. “This win feels fantastic, especially it being at my home course,” Jacob said. “My putting throughout the week helped me a lot.”

The MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Peewee Boys champion was Justin Bjornson, 11, of Surrey, BC, who shot 73,74,68 (215) to win by two strokes over Ryan Vest, 11, of Vernon, BC. For Bjornson, it was his fifth win of the 2017 season on the MJT. “I feel great and happy to know I played well,” he said. “My drive on hole six today was really good, and it set up my putt for eagle.”

In the MJT Collegiate Men’s Division 19-23, it was North Vancouver’s Tyler LeClair, 20, who shot a three day total of 222 (75,78,69) and won by two strokes over Kyle Leiman, 19, of Victoria, BC. “It feels great to win here at Northview on two amazing courses. Our group battled it out today and it’s always nice to have some close competition,” said LeClair. He added, “MJT is run well, held at great courses and partner up successfully with local companies and organizations like the PGA of BC and Odlum Brown.”

The MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Girls U15 champion was Emma Yang, 14, of Langley, who defended her title from last year. Yang beat Lauren Kim, 11, of Surrey, by four strokes to win this Division after a 54-hole total of 216 (74,74,68), and said the key to the win was, “putting - in the last round my putting helped me a lot but everything went pretty good.”

MJT newcomer Mian Nishimoto, 16, of Langley, took the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Girls 15-18 Champion’s trophy after firing brilliant scores of 68,71,76 (215) to win by seven strokes over Sophia Bian, 15, of Vancouver, BC. Nishimoto said, “I am happy to win but I could have finished with a better score in the final round.”

In the new MJT Collegiate Women’s Division 19-23, it was Jaya Rampuri, 19, of Coquitlam, BC, who won by 13-strokes over Avril Li, 20, of Vancouver, BC. Rampuri shot 73,77,79 (229), and said, “It was great to win my last tournament of the season before (university) SFU starts. The best thing was my approach shot, I was able to hit them close when I needed to.”

Full results and overall event highlights are posted on the MJT website HERE, showing winners of the Miura ‘Respect the Game’ Award, PLYR Long Drive, PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin. Winners of the international exemptions will be announced shortly.

The next MJT event in BC is the MJT Mini Tour National Championship presented by Ford at Tsawwassen Springs, in Tsawwassen on August 24 and 25, followed by the MJT Whistler Junior Championship presented by Prodigy at the Arnold Palmer-designed Whistler Golf Club in Whistler on August 28 and 29. 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 Odlum Brown Limited: Odlum Brown Limited is an independent, BC-based, full-service investment firm providing disciplined investment advice and objective research with a singular focus on clients. Established in 1923, the firm offers a full range of investment products including equities, fixed income, mutual funds and GIC’s; and financial, retirement and estate planning through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Odlum Brown Financial Services Limited. For more information visit www.OdlumBrown.com Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. 

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