Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

May 25-26, 2019
Langley, BC

Lee makes nine birdies amid impressive scoring in 97-player field at MJT Lindsay Kenney Classic

Langley, BC – (May 27, 2019) – It was a spectacle of low rounds and incredible scoring at the 2019 MJT Lindsay Kenney Classic at Pagoda Ridge Golf Course in Langley, BC, on May 25 and 26, where many Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour players shot under par out of the full field of 97 golfers. They were competing for titles in seven divisions as well as spots in the prestigious Optimist International Junior World Championship and on Team BC to the Junior Americas Cup. The Lindsay Kenney Classic also had several major rankings including those from the AJGA (Performance-Based Entry) and the MJT National Order of Merit.

We begin with an impressive performance from local Langley, BC-player, Erin Lee, who at only 14 years of age, carded rounds of 66 and 74 (140) on her way to winning Low Overall Girls and the MJT Girls U15 title. Lee made nine birdies during the tournament, six of which came on a personal-best first round of 66. “I feel very proud to win because I shot a new personal best,” said Lee after collecting her Hoselton trophy for the division. “I really just had fun playing golf and playing with my friends.” Lee, who is no stranger to the top of the MJT leaderboards, collects her second win of the season. Finishing second in the division was Burnaby, BC-player, Luna Lu, 12, who carded consistent rounds of 74 and 72 (146), climbing the leaderboard on the second day.

Winning the MJT Girls 15-18 title in convincing fashion was 16-year old MJT veteran, Emma Yang, of Langley, BC. Yang fired steady rounds of 72 and 72 (144) to claim the Hoselton trophy by 10 shots. “The tournament was really well organized and the staff were really nice,” mentioned Yang. “That allowed me to stay calm and play my game.” 16-year old, Emily Li, of Coquitlam, BC, shot scores of 77 and 77 (154) to place second in the division.

Low Overall Boys title went to Dustin Franko, 18, from Delta, BC, who came out victorious with his first MJT Junior Boys title after firing strong scores of 68 and 73 (141) in an engaging back and forth with Riley Lai (74, 71 - 145), 16, from Vancouver, BC, Jace Minni (71, 74 - 145), 17, also from Delta, and Dylan Bercan (70, 75 - 145), 17, from Vancouver. Minni, who shot two-under on the front nine of the second day that included four birdies, passed Franko and carried a one-shot lead with nine holes to go. Lai, who made five birdies in his opening nine holes on the second day was tied with Franko one shot behind Minni with nine to play. In the end, it was Franko’s even-par back nine with two birdies that allowed him to pull away from the pack and claim the Hoselton trophy in the division. “That was an exciting tournament to be a part of,” said Franko after his win. “All the competitors played great and I’m happy that I stuck with my game and won.”

Narrowly winning the MJT Juvenile Boys Division was Vancouver’s Freddy Sun (70, 76 - 146), 15, who edged Burnaby, BC-resident, Andy Luo (75, 72 - 147), 16, by one shot. Luo, who sat five shots back of Sun after the first round, made a charge on day two that included three birdies in the middle of his round through a span of eight holes to tie Sun going into the 17th hole. With clutch pars on 17 and 18, Sun edged Luo who made bogey on 17 after his impressive come back. “Even though I didn’t play my best on the second day, I still managed to hold on for the win and that’s a real confidence-booster,” said Sun. “The MJT is a very competitive tour that allows me to grow my game and I enjoyed playing in this event.”

Another electrifying battle took place in the MJT Bantam Boys Division with 13-year old Justin Bjornson (72, 72 - 144), of Surrey, BC, once again coming out on top to claim his third MJT win of the 2019 season. Danny Im, 14, of Langley, BC, came second with rounds of 72 and 76 (148). Tied after the first round, Bjornson started his second round strong going one-under on his front nine and developing a five-shot lead. William Tu (78, 75 - 153), 13, of Vancouver, BC, after being six shots behind the lead after the first day, went two-under par on his front nine the second day, but Bjornson continued his solid performance cruising to victory. “I chose to play MJT because they always host great events with great competition,” explained Bjornson after the tournament. “It feels great to win and I’m hoping to continue my good play at the next event.”

In the MJT Peewee Boys Division, 12-year old Ryan Liang, of Vancouver, BC, continued his strong play in 2019 picking up his fourth win of the season with scores of 70 and 76 (146). Liang, who played three of the four nines at even par, said, “Every hole is important out there. I had to stay focused for each shot and that got me the win.” Rounding the division in second was 11-year old, Harvey Liu, of Surrey, BC, who carded rounds of 74 and 76 (150) that contained four birdies and an eagle.

The MJT Collegiate title went to MJT veteran, Ryan Austin, 19, of Surrey, BC. Austin improved by 10 shots from the first day (88, 78= 166). “I think the weather had a lot do with the improvement on day two,” said Austin. “After struggling on the course at this event last year, it feels great to win here.”

For PLYR Long Drive, PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin and the MJT Booster Juice Comeback Award winners, please visit the highlights page for the tournament here. The finalists of the international exemptions are in the process of being notified and names will be announced upon acceptance.

The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in BC is July 18 and 19 for the MJT Ford Series at Okanagan Golf Club in Kelowna, a qualifier for MJT Team Canada to Australia. For more information or to register, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

About LK Law: LK Law can assist with virtually every legal need and, through their affiliation with Mackrell International, they can provide legal services virtually everywhere in the world. LK Law works in teams across both locations – Vancouver and Langley – to serve their clients’ unique needs throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley of BC.  Please see www.lklaw.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 close to 80 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for 7 to 12 year olds, the Collegiate Tour for 19 to 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, see www.maplejt.com.