Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

July 8, 2019
Richmond, BC

Shiina shoots seven birdies on MJT Mini Tour at Greenacres

Richmond, BC – (July 9, 2019) – The Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour passed the halfway point of its BC Mini Tour circuit July 8 at Greenacres Golf Course in Richmond. A talented field of young junior golfers were competing for titles in six divisions as well spots into the JNJG International Junior Classic (Sub Junior) in Australia and into the MJT Mini Tour National Championship presented by Ford Canada at Tsawwassen Springs this August.

Eight-year old Ryu Shiina stole the show at Greenacres, firing a two-under par 69 to capture the MJT Boys 8U title. The North Vancouver, BC, star made seven birdies in his round, six of which came in a span of 10 holes. Shiina commented on his round after saying, “It was my first time winning an MJT event and to shoot under par to win was amazing!” Finishing in second place in the Division was eight-year old, Richmond-local, Javier Cortes, who fired a 78.

An exciting contest took place in the MJT Boys 9-10 Division where Jonathon Xia shot an 80 to win by two shots. The nine-year old player out of Surrey, BC, made one birdie on the front nine one his way to a five-shot lead. Nine-year old, Jeevyn Lotay (82), of Burnaby, BC, made a great charge on the back nine, but fell just two shots shy. “I feel good about winning my division title,” said Xia.

MJT Junior Tour rookie-player, Max Osten, of Delta, BC, played his first MJT Mini Tour event of his career and took home the title in the MJT Boys 11-12 Division. Osten, 12, made two birdies on his way to a 72 to win by three shots over 11-year old, Janav Darar and 12-year old, Emil Liddell, both Vancouver players who shot 75. “I feel excited for my first tournament win of the year and I’m really happy with my score,” said Osten, after collecting his trophy. “The highlight of the tournament, for me, was making a clutch ten-foot putt on the 12th hole to stay under par at that point.”

Another close finish took place in the MJT Girls 11-12 Division where 12-year old Sarah Armstrong of Chilliwack, BC, shot a 79 to claim a one-shot victory over 11-year old, Grace Yao (80) of West Vancouver, BC. Armstrong made three birdies on the way to her second consecutive MJT Mini Tour win in 2019. Attributing her win to her putting, Armstrong said, “I made a big putt on the 15th hole for birdie and overall, my putting was pretty good.”

Richmond-resident, Joyce He, 10, carded an 85 to win the MJT Girls 9-10 title by six shots over Vancouver’s Selena Chen , 10, (91). He, who was playing in just her second MJT Mini Tour event of her career, said, “I’m very happy to win this event. I enjoy playing on the Mini Tour because of the organization and the pizza!”

Sky Park, of Surrey, BC, shot an 86 which included two birdies to claim the MJT Girls 8U title. The eight-year old player has played in three events on her first year on the MJT Mini Tour and has shown much success in each event.

Full results including PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin competition winners are posted on the MJT website here. The next tournament in BC is the 2019 MJT Mini Tour at Cultus Lake Golf Club in Cultus Lake on July 14. Registration is online on the MJT website.

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.

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