Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

July 19-20, 2018
Kelowna, BC

Juniors from seven regions fire some smoking hot scores in MJT’s Okanagan Ford Series stop

Kelowna, BC. (July 21, 2018) – Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour players put on an excellent display of golf at the latest MJT Ford Series event, which played out in the heat at Okanagan Golf Club in Kelowna, BC, July 19 and 20. Despite the players from Australia, Chile, Washington State USA, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia battling tricky conditions of high temperatures and wind, four of the seven division winners finished under par for the two days.

MJT Peewee Boys 12U: Top finisher in the MJT Peewee Boys division was Ryan Vest, 12, of Vernon, BC, who finished the tournament at three under par after shooting impressive scores of 69, 72 (141). Vest’s tournament highlight was on the eighth hole in the opening round, where, he explained, “I hit my tee shot to three feet, then made the putt for eagle.” Runner-up in the division was Ryan Burns, 12, of Abbotsford, BC, who finished strong, shooting 79, 73 (152).

MJT Bantam Boys 13-14: Cooper Humphreys, 13, of Kelowna, BC, finished with back-to-back eagles on the eighth and ninth holes to secure the MJT Bantam Boys Hoselton trophy. His rounds of 72, 70 (142) were good enough for a three-shot victory over Danny Im, 14, of Langley, BC. Humphreys, a member of the Okanagan Golf Performance Team, was ecstatic about winning on his home course. “I’ve been putting in a lot of work because this event meant a lot to me,” he said.

MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16: The Okanagan Golf Performance Team continued their dominance at this event in the MJT Juvenile Boys division as 15-year-old, Kyle Mayner, of Kelowna, won with scores of 73, 77 (150). Mayner ended up winning by six strokes over Kristian Isa, 16, also of Kelowna. However, there wasn’t always that much disparity as at almost the three-quarter point during the second round, Mayner and Isa were neck and neck. Mayner then recounts, “I blocked a seven iron left into a buried lie on hole number four (our 13th hole as we started off hole 10). I wacked it out to 15 feet and made the slider, right in the heart. This gave me the momentum going into the last stretch of holes.”

MJT Junior Boys 17-18: It was another local favourite who took home the Hoselton trophy in the MJT Junior Boys division, after Brandon Chai, 17, of Vernon, BC, shot 71, 72 (143) to win by three shots over Justin Towill, 17, of Kelowna. Chai, who knew where he stood going into the final hole, said, “I just wanted to play it safe and take out any big numbers. So I hit hybrid off the tee and played the hole safe which led to a two-putt par and the win. It feels great winning at my home course and I am proud to have won with so many good competitors, friends and family in attendance.”

MJT Collegiate 19-24: All the way from the Gold Coast in Australia, 22 year-old Drew Herbert was victorious in the MJT Collegiate division by 14 shots over both Jared Larsen, 20, of Coldstream, BC, and Davide Kaiser, 19, of Kelowna. Herbert is in Canada to caddy for a long-time friend at Golf Canada’s Canadian Women’s Amateur coming up in Vancouver. When asked why he chose to play the MJT, Herbert replied, “to see what junior golf is about (in Canada) and because they offer an age division for competitive golfers over the age of 18.” Herbert will look to make it two in a row on Canadian soil as he plans to play at the MJT Ford Series event at Predator Ridge Golf Resort starting Monday.

MJT U15 Girls: Erin Lee, 13, from Langley, was the champion of the MJT U15 Girls division by a convincing 12 strokes. Lee was neck and neck with runner-up Annalise Stolzenberg, 12, also of Langley, after round one, however, a personal best and brilliant score of 68 during the second round proved to be the difference in the end after Lee finished at 74, 68 (142). Stolzenberg shot 74, 80 (154). When asked about how she felt coming up the 18th hole, Lee responded, “I was very happy because it was my first time shooting under par.”

MJT 15-18 Girls: In a tightly contested MJT Girls 15-18 division, Breanna MacPherson, 17, of West Kelowna, came out on top over Kayli Melissa, 18, of Parksville, BC. MacPherson gave credit to the 18th hole as her best hole of the tournament as she made a birdie and shot 79-80 (159), compared to Melissa’s par (80-80=160), which ended up being the difference. When asked why she plays the MJT, MacPherson said, “I would like to be recognized more by schools by playing a well known Tour.”

The tournament also featured the chance to win a new Ford Focus with a hole-in-one, where several players came close, and was followed on July 21 by the popular Orchard Ford Go Golf! Junior Clinic, which offered a free introduction to golf to boys and girls in the area ages six to 12, one of many initiatives the MJT supports to grow the game.

Special for the MJT Ford Series Okanagan Swing, which continues Monday and Tuesday with over 90 competitors at Predator Ridge Golf Resort in Vernon, were draw prizes of Yardzfordayz clothing from MJT player and aspiring entrepreneur, Hunter Penalva. For more information and to check out the line, please click here, and for overall tournament highlights please visit the website to view winners of the PLYR Long Drive, PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin and MJT Comeback Awards.

The MJT’s BC schedule shifts back to the Lower Mainland after the Vernon stop for the major-ranked MJT Odlum Brown Classic – PGA of BC Junior Championship at Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey, August 7 to 9. The Tour will then visit beautiful Whistler for the MJT Whistler Junior Championship at Whistler Golf Club on August 13 and 14. For more information or to register, please visit  www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

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. For more information on MJT Premier Partner, Ford Canada, please see 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: Russ MacKay, Operations Manager, Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour rmackay@maplejt.com 1-877-859-GOLF  www.maplejt.com