Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

May 6-7, 2017
Lethbridge, AB

Over 150 kids at MJT’s Ford Series and Junior Clinic at Paradise Canyon in Lethbridge

Lethbridge, AB - (May 8, 2017) – Canada’s number-one played Junior Golf Tour, the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, had over 150 youth out at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort in Lethbridge, Alberta, this past weekend, with new-to-golf kids taking part in the MJT College Ford Go Golf! Junior Clinic on May 5, and over 100 athletes competing in a MJT Ford Series event over May 6 and 7.

The Junior Clinic introduced young kids to the game for free courtesy of Ford Canada and College Ford; for more information on the MJT’s Ford Go Golf! Junior Clinic program, please click here.

In the MJT Ford Series event, ranked by Golf Alberta, competitive young players were vying for titles in seven divisions as well as age-specific qualifying spots into the International Players Championship (IPC) presented by Miura Golf in Jasper, AB, this August. Full results and a photo gallery are online, and division winners are highlighted below.

MJT Junior Boys 17-18: James Robillard, 18, of St. Albert, AB, fired fantastic rounds of 67-73 (140) in cold, windy weather to ensure the MJT Junior Boys Hoselton trophy was his with a four-stroke victory over Josh Berze, 18, of Calgary, AB. “I’m very happy,” said Robillard. “The weather was tough but my putting and wedges were really good on both days.”

MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16: Hometown boy, Mason Harder, 16, of Lethbridge, took home the MJT Juvenile Boys Hoselton trophy here after shooting great scores of 69,72 (141), which barely edged Ethan Choi, 15, of Pincher Creek, AB by one stroke. “I felt my scrambling was strong today – I limited my mistakes,” said Harder. “It was wet, windy and cold but the course was in great shape.”

MJT Bantam Boys 13-14: Ryan Hodgins, 14, of Medicine Hat, AB, was able to shoot an amazing 72 on day two in poor conditions, one of the lowest rounds on that day, ensuring his victory in the MJT Bantam Boys division (76-72=148). He commented afterwards, “I feel pretty good, my ball striking was great on Sunday, and the course was great.”

MJT Peewee Boys: Logan Graf, 12, of Red Deer, AB, shot rounds of 78,79 = 157 and ended up running away with the MJT Peewee Boys Hoselton trophy, saying, “I felt that I was consistent today, and didn’t compound any mistakes. I feel awesome (about winning).”

MJT Collegiate Men 19-23: This new division on the MJT was won by Scott Walker, 19, of Calgary, AB, after he shot 71-73 (144) to hold off Brett Sheridan, 22, of Lethbridge, by six strokes.

MJT Girls 15-18: Taylor Stone, 17, of Calgary, AB, came from behind to defeat Annabelle Ackroyd, 15, also of Calgary, for the MJT Junior Girls Hoselton trophy. Stone fired 79 on day two in tough conditions, enough to pass Ackroyd for the title with scores of 78-79 (157).

MJT Girls U15: Jenna Bruggeman, 13, of Edmonton, AB, said, “I was pretty happy with my first 18-hole tournament of the season, but it could have been better,” after she shot 88-90 (178) to win the MJT Girls U15 title by two strokes over Grace Bell of Calgary.

The age-eligible players who won exemptions into the IPC were James Robillard, Mason Harder, Ryan Hodgins, Taylor Stone and Annabelle Ackroyd.  Braeden Petro of Henderson Lake Golf Club in Lethbridge was the Miura Golf ‘Respect the Game’ Award Winner, while the PLYR Long Drive, PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin and all the Golf Town Performance Award winners are listed on the Ford Series at Paradise Canyon Results page.

The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in Alberta is the MJT- IMG Academy Junior Worlds Qualifier at Carstairs Golf Club in Cartsairs next weekend, May 13-14, followed by the MJT Humber College PGM Classic at Banff Springs in Banff on May 21-22. 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 Ford Canada: 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.

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