Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

October 7-8, 2017
Richmond, BC

Over 150 participate in MJT Ford Series events at Mayfair Lakes

Richmond, BC – (October 9, 2017) – Over 150 young athletes descended on Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club in Richmond, BC, over the Thanksgiving weekend, to take part in either the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s MJT Ford Fall Series Tournament or the MJT Ford Go Golf! Junior Clinic sponsored by Cam Clark Ford Richmond. Over 70 participated in the Cam Clark Ford Clinic, a free introduction to golf for boys and girls aged between 6 and 12. In the competitive MJT Ford Fall Series tournament, players competed for titles in six age divisions as well as for a direct exemption into the MJT National Championship and the chance to win a new Ford Focus with a hole-in-one.

Low Overall and the MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 title was won by Dylan Bercan, 15, of Vancouver, BC, after he fired rounds of 68-76 (144) to win by three strokes over Ilirian Zalli, 15, also of Vancouver (77, 70=147). “I was making a bunch of clutch birdie putts both days,” said Bercan, who receives the direct exemption into the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas in Orlando, FLA, this November. “The highlight of the tournament for me was making back-to-back birdies both days on holes 9 and 10.”

Christian Zalli, 18, of Vancouver, captured the MJT Junior Boys 17-18 title with a two-day total of 145 (73,72) to win by a single stroke over Cole Wilson, 17, of Kelowna, BC. 

The MJT Bantam Boys 13-14 Division, Riley Lai, 14, of Vancouver, ran away with the title after firing 75-71 (146) to win by 15 strokes over Jun Nam, 13, of Abbotsford, BC. “I stayed patient. I made lots of bogeys but I was able to bounce back with birdies,” Lai said. “It feels good to get my first win on the MJT this year.”

In the Peewee Boys 11-12 Division, Ryan Liang of Vancouver shot rock solid scores for a 10 year-old (76,75=151) to win by four strokes over Daniel Xu, 12, of Richmond, BC. “Being focused on all my shots was my Dad’s suggestion before the round,” said Liang. “The highlight was getting really close to the Hole-in-One, and almost making a 60-foot putt on 18 green.”

Angela Arora, 13, of Surrey, BC, closed with a fantastic final round of 69 to come from behind and win by two strokes over three players - Lauren Kim, 12, of Surrey, (74, 74), Emma Yang, 14, of Langley, BC (73, 75), and Tina Jiang, 12, of Richmond, (72, 76)  - who all tied for second place in the MJT Girls U15 Division. Arora, who fired 77-69 (146), said, “My putting was really good today. Shooting three under today and breaking 70 was my highlight!”

In the MJT Girls 15-18 Division, more phenomenal play from Euna Han, 15, of Coquitlam, BC, secured her a 13 stroke victory over YanJun (Victoria) Liu, 14, of Vancouver. Han’s two-round total of 140 (70,70) was her second victory of the season on the MJT, and she cited the reason as ‘driving - I drove the ball really well all weekend.’ Han added that the win feels ‘awesome.’

Full results and overall event highlights are posted on the MJT website HERE, which also shows winners of the Miura ‘Respect the Game’ Award, PLYR Long Drive, and the PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin.

This was the final 2017 regular season event on the MJT schedule; early bird 2018 MJT memberships will be available starting December 1. Qualified players from the 2017 season will next make an appearance in the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf at Reunion Resort in Orlando, FLA, November 10 to 12. For more information please visit www.maplejt.com.

About Ford: Ford of Canada employs over 23,000 talented individuals in the fields of finance, sales and marketing, information technology, manufacturing and engineering, and human resources. This diverse workforce is responsible for the manufacturing and assembly operations that bring 320,000 vehicles and 425,000 engines to market. At Ford we are proud to be Canada’s longest-established automaker and remain committed to building a strong future in Canada. www.ford.ca

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

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