Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

May 21-22, 2017
Banff, AB

Loro goes low in MJT Humber College PGM Classic in beautiful Banff

Banff, AB. (May 23, 2017) – The sun was shining on Justin Loro, 18, of Calgary, AB, as he won Low overall and the MJT Junior Boys title after firing great rounds of 69-73 (142) in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Humber College PGM Classic at the Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course in Banff, AB, May 21 and 22, where a great field of juniors were competing for titles in eight divisions as well as for major international qualifying spots.

“I am very excited to get my first MJT win, and very happy it was at the beautiful Banff Springs,” said Loro, who held on to win by two strokes over a hard-charging Matt Bean, 18, of Canmore, AB (77-67=144). Loro added, “It has been a long time coming and I am proud of myself for holding on for the win on what is by far the best run Junior Tour.”

In MJT Juvenile Boys, the Humber College PGM title winner was Reid Svendsen 16, of Grande Prairie, AB, who shot rock solid rounds of 73,75=148 to win by four strokes, saying, “I feel very honoured about winning my division. My game is really coming together, and with winning this tournament it has showed me that I can compete to win. The best part of my game was my mental toughness. I had a couple of bad breaks but I was able to overcome and make the best out of them.”

It took a playoff to decide the winner of the MJT Bantam Boys Division, after Kyle Mayner, 14, of Kelowna BC, tied for the lead with Nicholas Rimmer, 14, of Edmonton, AB, with both shooting identical scores of 74, 71 = 145. Mayner triumphed with his first MJT victory, saying, “It is an honour to win, especially on this course! I am very proud of myself as I have been so close in previous tournaments. My irons basically set me up for success in this tournament – I hit a total of 30 out of 36 greens over the two days. I had fun! MJT I would say is the best junior tour in Canada.”

The MJT Peewee Boys title went to Ryan Burns, 11, Abbotsford, BC, after he shot 85,80=165 to win by 10 shots, and the MJT Collegiate Men’s title was won by Cole Radbourne, 19, of Grande Prairie, after he carded 73, 80 = 153.

In the Girls divisions, the MJT Girls U15 title was won for the second week in a row by Stephanie Chelack, 14, of Calgary (74,77=151).  “It feels really good to win at such a nice course, the whole tournament was really fun and it’s nice to come out with a win,” she said afterwards. “The course was in fantastic shape for so early in the season and the Banff Springs is such a beautiful place to play. The wind picked up a bit on the second day but it was a very nice two days.” 

Taylor Stone, 17, of Calgary, came from behind to win the MJT Girls 15-18 division by three strokes after a fantastic closing round score of 69 (80,69 = 149), and the new MJT Collegiate Women’s division saw Rachelle Nielsen, 20, of Summerland, BC, come out to shoot solid scores of 72,79 = 151.

In addition to the division champions featured above, 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 and Golf Town Performance Awards, as well as those who qualified for shortlisted age-specific spots on MJT Team Canada to the Jack Newton International Junior Classic in New South Wales, Australia, this October. The two players who secured these specific shortlisted spots were Reid Svendsen and Taylor Stone.

The next two Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stops in the province are the MJT Alberta Series at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club in DeWinton on June 3 and 4, a qualifier for the Nordic Junior Team Matches in Finland this fall, followed by the MJT Alberta Series presented by Red Deer College Athletics at River Bend Golf Course in Red Deer on June 10 and 11. 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 Humber College PGM

Turn your passion for golf into an exciting career. The 3-year Professional Golf Management diploma program at Humber College is recognized as Canada’s premiere golf business program and is partnered with the best facilities for you to gain work experience. As you interact with the movers and shakers of the sport, you’ll gain a better understanding of the trends and opportunities in the golf business. You will focus 90 per cent of your time on the business of golf and the remaining 10 per cent on the game.If competitive golf is your passion, you will have the opportunity to be part one of the best Varsity golf teams in Canada – the Humber Hawks. The Humber Hawks have won 10 of the past 13 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championships. In 2014, the Hawks set the all-time record for most consecutive championships (over all sports) for the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) with 9.  We have 12 student athletes who have competed in world championships and several that play on professional tours. For more information, please visit our website.

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