Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

July 27-28, 2020
New Minas (Wolfville), NS

Mullen closes with a 67 for low overall in MJT Bell Aliant Series at Ken-Wo

New Minas (Wolfville), NS – (July 29, 2020) – The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour launched its 2020 Atlantic Canada schedule on July 27 and 28 in New Minas, NS, with the much anticipated MJT Bell Aliant Series at Ken-Wo Golf Club.  Operating under new player health and safety protocols, junior golfers competed for titles in six divisions on Canada’s number one-played Junior Tour.

Kickstarting the season in the Maritimes was MJT Junior Boys Division winner, 17-year old Owen Mullen. The Truro, NS, golfer recorded eight birdies on his way to firing rounds of 71 and 67 (138), to win Bell Aliant Low Overall Boys score and his division title by six shots. “My ball striking was really good,” said Mullen. “My driver allowed me to play aggressive off the tee.”

The Bell Aliant Low Overall Girls score for the event went to MJT returning champion Abbey Baker. The 15-year old junior golfer from Halifax, NS, shot 71 and 73 (144), making seven birdies to win the MJT Girls 15-19 title by five shots. “The key to my victory was definitely my putting,” commented Baker, who attributed her win to her work on the greens. “I made some clutch putts to hold onto my lead at the end.”

The MJT Juvenile Boys Division witnessed a tie after 36 holes of play between 16-year old Owen Canavan (75, 71 = 146), of Hammond Plains, NS, and 16-year old Logan Forward (72, 74 = 146), of Enfield, NS. Both players sat behind the leader after the first round and came back to force extra holes. Par was all that was needed on the second playoff hole for Canavan to take home the Hoselton trophy, stating, “It feels awesome to win because it shows that all my hard work and dedication has paid off.”

14-year old Simon Mullen fired scores of 73 and 75 (148) to win the MJT Bantam Boys division by three shots. The Truro junior player made six birdies on his way to his eighth MJT title since 2014. “I left a couple of shots out there, but it feels great to win,” commented Mullen after the event.

The MJT Peewee Boys Division saw a tight contest right to the very end. 12-year Rylan Sutherland, of Brookfield, NS, opened a five-shot lead over the field after the first day; that lead was slowly taken away by 12-year old Elliot Mullen, of Truro, on day two. With a crucial par on the 18th hole in the second round, Sutherland emerged victorious by one shot. “It feels great to win,” said Sutherland. “I can’t wait to come back.” Sutherland shot 76 and 86 (162) while Mullen took runner-up spot with scores of 81 and 82 (163).

A pair of 84s (168) handed an 11-shot victory to Halifax-resident Annika Parkash in the MJT Girls U15 Division. The 13-year old golfer said, “I focused, stayed out of trouble, and took my time on each shot.”

Full results of the event can be viewed here. The next MJT Atlantic Canada event will take place on August 8 and 9 in Dieppe, NB, - the MJT Bell Aliant Series at Fox Creek Golf Club. Registration is online at www.maplejt.com.

About Bell: Bell Aliant provides customers in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island with innovative information, communication and technology services including voice, data, Internet, video and value-added business solutions such as data security and cloud computing services; including Fibe™ TV and Internet, Bell Satellite TV, and Home Phone.  Click here for more information.

About the MJT: The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour 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 supported by valued Premier, Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT hosts close to 90 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for 12U and multi-day events for competitive players aged 11-19 which also offer qualifiers for international tournaments. The program has annual awards, scholarships and incentives to help reward 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 the provincial, national, university and professional levels.