Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

July 16-18, 2018
Calgary, AB

Over 170 young golfers participate in MJT Ford events at McKenzie Meadows - Hole-In-One recorded by Victoria Tse in Junior Tour event

Calgary, AB - (July 19, 2018) – The future of golf looks bright with over 170 young players coming out to McKenzie Meadows Golf Course in Calgary, AB, this past week, taking part in either a Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour clinic, Mini Tour or Junior Tour event.  

The MJT Woodridge Ford Lincoln Go Golf! Junior Clinic introduced boys and girls ages 7 to 12 to the game for free, while the MJT Mini Tour offered 18 holes of tournament play to those of the same ages who were ready for competition. Results were posted earlier this week here.

In the Junior Tour event, the MJT Ford Series-PGA of Alberta Junior Championship, close to 100 advanced players battled for titles in seven divisions over three days, earning bonus MJT Order of Merit (OOM) points as well as the chance for invitation to the National Team Challenge (NTC) in Niagara Falls, ON, this September and to the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade Golf and adidas in Phoenix, AZ, this November.

Trent Matson, MJT National Operations Director, said, “The course was in amazing condition and the staff is always fantastic. On the final day it was very windy, 30 to 40 kph, which really helped pick the top finishers who played the best over three days in different conditions. Our tournament also featured the chance to win a new Ford Focus with a hole-in-one on hole seven on day three, where a few players came close but no-one cashed in, however on hole 17 on day two, Victoria Tse scored an ace, a great accomplishment! And thank you to the PGA of Alberta, who gave a talk about the benefits of the PGA, how to become a member, and the passion of Golf Professionals in Alberta to grow the game along with the MJT.”

Crowned Low Overall and MJT Ford Series-PGA of Alberta Juvenile 15-16 Champion was Hunter Thomson, 14, of Calgary, AB, who was playing up a division. Thomson fired an impressive four-under-par, 66, 71, 75 (212), to win by seven shots over current Alberta Order of Merit leader Ryan Hodgins, 16, of Medicine Hat, who shot 68, 77, 74 (219). As part of being the overall medalist, Thomson also receives World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points. “I wanted to play this week to improve upon my world ranking,” he said. “I knew I had to be the overall winner (to earn WAGR points), so that made me a little nervous on the 18th hole.”

MJT Ford Series-PGA of Alberta Junior Boys 17-18 Champion was Samuel Hamelin, 18, of Stettler, AB, who - after being tied for the lead following the first two rounds - fired an even par 72 on the final day to secure the victory (73, 74, 72=219). “I am very proud of myself for this win because I have been injured for the past two months. It feels really good to win this event,” Hamelin said. Four strokes back was runner-up Andrew Makarchuk, 17, of Taber, 75, 72, 76 (223).

Greg Billingsley, 23, of Calgary, took home the Hoselton trophy MJT Ford Series-PGA of Alberta Collegiate Champion with rock solid rounds of 72, 71, 71 (214). This marks the first victory of the season for Billingsley, after taking more than a year off competitive golf. He gave credit to the MJT for getting him back into the game, saying, “As a collegiate player, competitive golf is tough to find in the summer. The MJT provides a good opportunity for those who aren’t eligible for junior golf anymore.” Five shots back in second place with scores of 70, 74, 75 (219) was Logan Hill, 21, of Red Deer.

The MJT Ford Series-PGA of Alberta Bantam Boys 13-14 Champion was Nikko Sebjanic, 14, of Calgary, who broke into the 2018 winner’s circle for the first time after finishing runner-up twice this season. His stellar rounds of 73, 72, 74 (219) were good enough for a seven shot victory over three players who all tied for second place at 226 - Spence Matson, 14, of Lethbridge, AB (77, 76, 73), Alex Gerrard, 14, of Red Deer County, AB (75, 78, 73) and Logan Graf, 14, of Sylvan Lake, AB (79, 71, 76).  Sebjanic’s comment on finally getting the monkey off his back was, “It is nice to win today because I have come second twice and lost both times by a single shot.”

Jon Vinge, 12, of Calgary, led wire-to-wire to take home the MJT Ford Series-PGA of Alberta Peewee Champion’s Hoselton trophy, shooting very impressive rounds of 79, 76, 80 (235). Vinge said after the round, “I feel very good about how I played this week, especially after how I played during my last MJT event at the Derrick.” Runner-up honours went to Alex Makarchuk, 12, of Taber, with rounds of 87, 79, 80 (246).

Victoria Tse, 17, of Calgary, rode the momentum of her ace on the 17th hole during the second round all the way to victory as the MJT Ford Series-PGA of Alberta Girls 15-18 Champion with outstanding scores of 70, 76, 73 (219). Tse won in convincing fashion over fellow Calgarians Grace Bell, 15, (80, 80, 75) and Stephanie Chelack, 16, (76, 82, 77), who tied for second at 235 total score. “It feels awesome (to win)!” Tse said afterwards. “I won this event last year, so it was great to go back-to-back.”     

Brooke Frerichs, 13, of Calgary, shot rounds of 81, 80, 83 (244) to be crowned the MJT Ford Series-PGA of Alberta Girls U15 Champion, beating runner-up Georgia Barr, 13, also of Calgary (82, 87, 78=247), by three strokes. Frerichs’ game plan to ‘keep calm, try your best and think positive’ worked well for her, helping her birdie the 18th hole of the tournament each day, which turned out to be the difference.

In addition to the division champions featured above, overall event highlights are posted on the MJT website here showing winners of the PLYR Long Drive, PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin and MJT Comeback Awards, as well as the current Academy Order of Merit standings. Hunter Thomson, Ryan Hodgins and Victoria Tse were the players who each earned spots on MJT Team West in the NTC in Niagara Falls.

All MJT Alberta events have been full with wait-lists this season so far; the next two stops in the province are the MJT Alberta Rocky Mountain Classic at Wintergreen Golf Course in Bragg Creek, August 7 and 8, and the MJT International Players Championship presented by Miura Golf at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Resort, Jasper, August 13 to 15. Players in the latter event will also have the opportunity to earn American Junior Golf Association Priority Based Entry status as well as WAGR points. For more information 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