Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 9-10, 2018
Red Deer County, AB

113 young golfers come out to MJT’s Red Deer College Athletics-sponsored event; Collegiate division winner fires 8 under

Red Deer, AB – (June 11, 2018) – The recent Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s MJT Alberta Series presented by Red Deer College Athletics at River Bend Golf Course in Red Deer enjoyed decent weather on day one and shocking conditions on day two after temperatures dipped from 25˚C on June 9 to 4˚C on June 10 with wind gusts up to 60 km per hour and rain coming down sideways.

There were 113 golfers between both the MJT Mini Tour stop on June 9, and the MJT Junior Tour stop on both June 9 and 10, and in the 83-player strong Junior Tour event, Michael Harrison, 23, of Camrose, AB, was unstoppable on his way to winning the MJT’s Collegiate Division title. As the 'Road to College Golf in Canada’ this division was created to allow players going into, or currently home from, college or university an opportunity to continue playing competitive golf.

Harrison, who said he could have squeezed a cup of water out of his hat at the end, shot brilliant rounds of 66-70 to finish at 136 (-8). “I made an eagle on 10 and I’m happy with my results,” Harrison added. Runner-up in the division was Matthew Tse, 19, of Calgary, AB.

MJT Junior Boys: Brayden Bauman, 18, of Grande Prairie, AB, fired an impressive 36 hole total of 153 (73, 80) to capture the MJT Junior Boys’ Hoselton trophy by three shots over Matthew Moroz, 17, of Edmonton, AB and Zachary Farkas, 18, of Calgary, AB. Stepping on the tee on 18 on the final day in tough conditions, Bauman said he “just wanted to find the fairway and hit the green in regulation.”

MJT Juvenile Boys: Nolan Burzminski, 16, of Medicine Hat, AB, was consistent from start to finish in capturing the MJT Juvenile Boys division title. Burzminski was never fazed by the weather carding consecutive round of 76 (152) while also recording the same 9-hole scores for each round (39, 37). Runner-up honours went to Cooper Lindberg, 15, of Calgary, AB, three-shots back at 155. Burzminski credits a birdie on the seventh hole on Sunday as the turning point in his round which “got me rolling in the right direction.”

MJT Bantam Boys: Guillermo Salazar, 14, of Calgary, AB, was able to hold off a surging Jace Shannon, 13, of Forestburg, AB, on Sunday, and take the MJT Bantam Boys trophy. Salazar finished with a two-day total of 158 (77, 81), only three shots ahead of Shannon, who trailed Salazar by five shots after Saturday. Salazar is very proud of his accomplishment this weekend saying, “I felt really good because the field was really good,” when asked about his win. 

MJT Peewee Boys: Tate Bruggeman, 11, of Edmonton, AB, won the MJT Peewee Boys Hoselton trophy for the second time this season, this time with a two-day total of 165 (79, 86). This latest win made Bruggeman “very happy and confident with his game.” When asked about his favourite hole of the tournament, Bruggeman said, “The 11th hole during the first round, I hit my drive 220 yards, then hit a nine-iron to one-inch.”

MJT Girls 15-18: Sydney Scraba, 17, of Calgary, AB, took home the MJT Girls 15-18 title with a two-day total of 167 (82, 85), holding hold off Victoria Tse, also 17 and from Calgary, who shot a two day total of 172 (89, 83). “It feels great to win!” Scraba said. “It was a tough second day with the windy, wet conditions but I managed to grind through 18 holes of golf.”

MJT Girls U15: Banff AB’s Brio Hempstead, 13, came out to shoot 99-97 in the MJT Girls U15 division, and was one of only a few players who beat their Saturday score on Sunday. She credits remaining positive as the reason for her fine play on Sunday saying, “even though it was freezing, it was still a lot of fun.”

For full results and photos of the Red Deer College Athletics-sponsored event please visit the MJT website, which shows winners of the PLYR Longest Drive and Closest-to-the-Pin competitions as well the MJT Comeback Award and season long Academy Points race totals to date. Players who qualified for the Future Champions Golf Callaway World Championships as well as the JNJG International Junior Classic in Australia shortlist will be announced once qualifiers are completed across the country.

Next on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s schedule in Alberta is the MJT Ford Series / Edmonton Junior Championship at Derrick Golf and Winter Club in Edmonton, June 23 and 24. This event will serve as a qualifier for the Nordic Team Matches as well as the International Players Championship presented by Miura. For more information on these International qualifiers, please visit our website. Participants will also earn points towards the season long Order of Merit race which will determine the field for the 2018 Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf at the Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix, AZ, November 8 to 11. For more information, please see www.maplejt.com.

About RDC Athletics: Red Deer College has an impressive athletics tradition.  RDC Athletic teams have won 19 National Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) titles, more than 145 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) team titles and 30 ACAC individual titles. Our student-athletes and coaches have received countless individual honours both for academic and sporting achievement. This year, the College has more than 175 student-athletes competing in 7 sports on 15 teams. Click here for the website

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 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.