Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

September 15-16, 2018
Aurora, ON

MJT GTA Series at St. Andrews Valley GC wraps up Ontario season

Aurora, ON – (September 17, 2018) – The final direct exemptions into the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf were awarded in Ontario, this past weekend, after the MJT’s last stop in the new GTA Series played out on St. Andrews Valley Golf Course in Aurora.

Juniors were competing for titles in six divisions as well as for these exemptions. Unseasonably warm temperatures and gusting winds made it difficult to score on the par 72 layout which stretched to 6,642 yards for the older boys, while playing 5,530 yards for the girls.

The MJT Girls U15 title went to 13-year-old Krystal Li of Richmond Hill, ON, who turned in an impressive second round, 80, to finish at a two-day total of 169. Gal won by 11 shots over runner-up, Karolyn Zeng, 12, of Maple, ON, who shot 89-91 (180). When asked the key to her victory this weekend, Li responded, “I feel proud, not of my scores by my mental game and the way I reacted to my own shots. I was able to keep my mind clear and reminded myself that I had another chance on every hole. However, I knew that anything could happen, so I tried my best to stay calm whether I had a good shot or bad shot.”

Catherine Zhang, 16, of Toronto, ON, came out on top of the MJT Girls 15-18 division. Zhang shot 81-75 (156) to claim the title by 24 shots over Calista Zeng, 15, of Maple, ON, who finished with scores of 88-92 (180). Walking up the 18th hole, Zhang was determined to finish with a birdie. “I played the hole aggressively as I had wanted to have a chance at birdie. Unfortunately, that did not work out as I had planned, so I just settled for a bogey,” she said.

The MJT Bantam Boys title was won by 12-year-old Alex Long of Toronto after he fired a remarkable two-day total of 147 (74, 73), lowest round of all competitors at the event. Long, playing up a division, had a six-stroke lead over runner-up, Ryan Somerville, 14, of Aurora, ON, after Somerville posted a two-day total of 153 (78, 75).

Nicholas Lin, 15, of Toronto, won the MJT Juvenile Boys title after holding off Kiefer Bulau, 15, of King City, ON. Lin finished at 149 (74, 75) for the tournament, which ended up being three shots better than Bulau, who finished at 152 (75, 77). Lin took advantage of the par-fives on the back-nine, making birdies on all three opportunities. “I’m very happy with the way I played throughout these two days,” Lin said. “Hot weather and plenty of wind did not make for ideal scoring conditions.”

And finally, Evan Wee, 11, of Richmond Hill, ON, took home the MJT Peewee Boys title and Yaroslav Ilyenko, 17, of Markham, ON, came out to card scores of 75, 86 (161) from a very challenging 6,642 yards for the Hoselton trophy in the MJT Junior Boys division.

Full results and overall event highlights are posted on the MJT website, which shows winners of the PLYR Long Drive and PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin competitions, MJT Comeback Award as well as the final Ontario Academy Order of Merit standings. With their wins Li and Lin earned invitations to the prestigious MJT National Championship at The Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix, AZ, November 8 to 11. 

This tournament marks the end of the regular schedule for the MJT in Ontario; early bird memberships for 2019 will be available in December. The invitation-only MJT National Team Challenge presented by Freedom 55 Financial is next, at Royal Niagara Golf Club in Niagara-on-the-Lake from September 21-23. For more information on this Team event or the entire MJT program, please see www.maplejt.com

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