Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

April 21, 2019
Tsawwassen, BC

Impressive scoring from very young players on MJT Mini Tour in Tsawwassen

Tsawwassen, BC – (April 22, 2019) – The Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour had a successful start to its 2019 Mini Tour Series in Tsawwassen, BC, on Easter Sunday, April 21, where a deep field of 65 young golfers aged 5 to 12 carded some very impressive scores in an IMG Academy Junior Worlds and FCG Callaway World Junior Qualifier at Tsawwassen Springs Golf Course.

Vancouver’s Michael Li, 11, prevailed over the MJT Boys 11-12 division with a strong round of 73 from the blue tees. With a three-shot lead after nine holes, Li cruised to a one-over-par 36 on the back nine, including a birdie on the 18th hole. “I really wanted to make birdie on the last hole and I’m happy I did,” remarked Li. Second place in the division went to George Jiayu Zhou, 12, also of Vancouver, who shot 77.

The MJT Boys 9-10 division included an intense two-man playoff to decide the winner after 10-year-old Alex Zhang of Richmond, BC, and 9-year-old Ethan Zeng of Vancouver matched birdies on the 18th hole to tie at 72 from the white tees, forcing a playoff. Zhang birdied the first playoff hole to win his first MJT title. “This win feels even better because I was under lots of pressure and I still made birdie to win,” he stated.

The MJT Boys U8 division trophy was claimed convincingly by Burnaby, BC, resident Matthew Cui. Playing from a modified yardage of approximately 3050 yards, the 8-year-old Cui made a stupendous six birdies on his round, four of which came on the back nine. A clutch eagle on the 16th hole sealed the win over runner-up Tiger Zhao, 8, of Vancouver, (73). “It feels great to win,” Cui said after the round. “I appreciate MJT for organizing a great tournament.”

YanLing (Elaine) Liu, 11, of Vancouver, came out on top in the MJT Girls 11-12 division with a five-shot victory over South Surrey, BC, resident, Kaitlyn Anderson. Liu attributed her win to her strong start. “My best hole in the round was the first hole. I made birdie sinking a four-foot putt.” She never let up and cruised to a round of 77 to claim her MJT title.

Following up her amazing third place finish at the Drive, Chip, and Putt competition at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, home to The Masters, 10 year old Anna Huang won the MJT Girls 9-10 division with a brilliant round of 70 - an impressive 13-shot victory. Huang remarked, “I was really happy with my performance. It’s the best I’ve played at Tsawwassen Springs and the first time this year I shot in the 70s.” Tierra Elchuk, 9, of Kelowna, BC, placed second after carding 83.

In the MJT Girls U8 division, 7-year-old Surrey, BC resident Kathleen Dunn battled it out with 8-year-old Aleah Shields-Rodipe from Calgary, AB. Dunn, with a one shot lead on the last hole, hit a fantastic shot over water onto the 18th green to secure her birdie and the victory. “It was very scary to hit over the water on 18,” said Dunn, “but I just trusted my swing.”

Full results including PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin competition winners are posted on the MJT website here, and the winners of the major qualifying spots were as follows:

The next Mini Tour stop in British Columbia is back at Tsawwassen Springs in Tsawwassen on May 12 and features a double qualifier for both the US Kids Golf World Championship and the Future Champions Golf Callaway World Championship. Please visit www.maplejt.com for details.

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 12U, 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