Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 24-25, 2017
Cambridge, ON

Gavey, DeCorso and Zhu qualify for IPC in tough conditions at Galt

Cambridge, ON. (June 26, 2017) – Competitors on Canada’s number-one played Junior Golf Tour toughed out rain delays and challenging weather during the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s MJT Ontario Series at Galt Country Club in Cambridge on June 24 and 25, where the course was reduced to 15 holes due to three holes being flooded.  Players were competing for titles in seven divisions as well as the chance to qualify for the International Players Championship (IPC) presented by Miura at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Alberta this August.

Low Overall and the MJT Junior Boys 17-18 title was won by Aidan Gavey, 17, of Caledonia, ON, after he shot rounds of 61-60 (121) in the course-shortened event to win by 10 strokes over Luke DeCorso, 18, of Guelph, ON. Gavey and DeCorso both receive invites into the IPC as a result of their finishes.

The MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 winner was Zach Friesen, 16, of Woodstock, ON, who narrowly defeated Jayden Boddy, 16, of Dorchester, ON, by a single stroke with a two-day total of 133 (70-63). Friesen said, “This was a big goal accomplished, as this is my first win on the MJT. I stuck with it after a tough start, and battled back.”

Ethan Irvine, 12, of Ancaster, ON, won the MJT Bantam Boys 13-14 division by four strokes over Kayden White, 14, of Kitchener, ON, after posting rounds of 65-62 (127). “I feel excited and proud of myself for winning my division title. I made a lot of clutch putts, and two important long putts went in, and inside eight feet, I made almost everything.”

MJT Peewee Boys 11-12 winner was Alex Long, 10, of Toronto, ON, who shot 61-65 to win by nine strokes over both Kurt Rivers, 10 of, Brampton, ON, and Andre Zhu, 10, of Richmond Hill, ON. Long said he ‘wasn’t happy with the last hole, but I feel pretty good,’ and credited his putting as the key to his victory on the weekend.

In MJT U15 Girls, Brooke Rivers, 12, of Brampton, shot 62-69 = 131 to win by eight strokes over Sasha Baker, 14, of Dunnville, ON. Rivers said she enjoyed ‘playing with some fantastic people this weekend,’ and said that her chipping was the key - “It saved me a couple of strokes.”

Playing up a division and securing an exemption into the IPC was Emily Zhu, 13, of Richmond Hill, ON, who won the MJT 15-18 Girls title by 10-strokes over Hailey McLaughlin, 15, of Markham, ON (66-63=129). Zhu was asked what was the best thing about her game this weekend and responded, “My up and downs were probably what saved most of my pars.” She added, “Other than the holes that were closed due to flooding, the course was very nice!”

And practicing for the upcoming Women’s Amateur at Galt Country Club were players in the new MJT Collegiate Women 19-23 division, where Michelle Ruiz, 21, of Mississauga, ON, shot 63-66=129 to win by two strokes over Meghan Bennett, 22, of Pickering, ON.

In addition to the above division champions, 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 and Golf Town Performance Awards.

The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in Ontario is this weekend: the highly ranked MJT-PGA of Ontario Junior Championship presented by Freedom 55 Financial at Forest City National Golf Club in London, July 1 and 2. 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

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