Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 30-July 1, 2018
Springfield, ON

Seven MJT champions crowned at Canada Day Classic in Ontario

Springfield, ON. (July 2, 2018) – Young golfers on the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour battled extreme heat and high winds at Tarandowah Golfers Club in Springfield, ON, this past weekend, in the MJT Ontario Canada Day Classic. Up for grabs in seven age divisions were Hoselton trophies and invites to the prestigious MJT International Players Championship presented by Miura Golf at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Resort in Jasper, Alberta, August 13 to 15.

MJT Collegiate 19-24: Fresh out of his Freshman year at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Adam Park, 19, of Toronto, ON, ran away with the MJT Collegiate division title with impressive rounds of 71, 76 (147). Park won the division by 16 shots while also taking home low overall honours for the whole field. Runner up was Luc Gagnon, 19, of Oro-Medonte, ON with rounds of 83, 80 (163).

MJT Junior Boys 17-18: The Champion in the MJT Junior Boys division was 17 year-old Kevin Frehner, of London, ON. “I’m thrilled,” said Frehner, “I made it my golf goal to one day win an MJT event three years ago, when I first played an MJT event.” Frehner’s rounds of 78, 80 (158) were nine shots better than Yashin Kapadia’s, 17, of Brampton, ON who fired 84, 83 (167) to finish second.

MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16: Benjamin Landers, 15, of Delaware, ON, led the way in the MJT Juvenile boys division by shooting 78, 89 (167) to win by six shots over Kayden White, 15, Kitchener, ON. Landers’ strategy to ‘hit go-to shots and don’t play defensive’ paid off in the end as he hoisted the Hoselton trophy for the first time in 2018.

MJT Bantam Boys 13-14: Local favourite, John Orlebar, 14, of Springfield, ON was the champion in the MJT Bantam boys division after firing consecutive rounds of 82 (164). Orlebar was able to fend off Aylmer, ON, native Landon Underhill, 14, by two shots who finished at 166 for the two days. “I really enjoyed myself this weekend. It feels good to win my division, which always has such great competition,” said Orlebar.

MJT Peewee Boys 10-12:  12 year-old Rhys Constable of Townsend, ON, came out to shoot 95-96 in the MJT Peewee Boys division, saying his goal coming up the 18th hole was to ‘finish strong’ and he did. Constable added, “I want to thank all of the sponsors for providing such great prizes.”

MJT 15-18 Girls: Playing up a division, 13 year-old Jillian Friyia of London, ON took home the Hoselton trophy in the MJT Girls 15-18 division with rounds of 89, 81 (170). “I am happy to win because it is my first MJT title and I am playing up a division,” she said. Runner-up honours went to Megan Miron, 16, of Binbrook, ON, who shot 90, 87 (177).

MJT U15 Girls: Bo Brown, 14, of Mississauga, ON was victorious by 12 shots over Peyton Costabile, 13, of Ayr, ON, in the MJT U15 Girls division. Brown’s rounds of 87, 83 (170) were especially impressive in the conditions. “I feel really good about this win because of how hard the course was with all the heat and wind” she said.

In addition to the individual division champions featured above, overall event highlights are posted on the MJT website here which show winner details for the PLYR Long Drive, PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin, MJT Comeback Award as well as the MJT Academy Program Point Standings. 

The next Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in Ontario is MJT Ontario Summer Series presented by TaylorMade Golf at Lionhead Golf Club in Brampton, ON, July 14-15, where positions on Team GTA Ontario in the MJT National Team Challenge in Niagara Falls this September are up for grabs. For more information 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: Russ MacKay, MJT rmackay@maplejt.com