Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

July 20, 2020
Lethbridge, AB

Nine year-olds impress with hole-in-one and six birdies, eagle, on MJT Mini Tour at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort

Lethbridge, AB – (July 21, 2020) -  The MJT Mini Tour at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort, rescheduled due to weather, ran on July 20 in Lethbridge, Alberta, where junior golfers between the ages of five and twelve competed for titles in six divisions on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour. 

Nine year-old Jayden Arnold blazed to victory in the MJT Boys 9-10 Division with a score of 68. The Calgary, AB, golfer, who put on a clinic at his last Mini Tour start, continued his impressive play making six birdies and an eagle on the 18th hole to win his second consecutive MJT Mini Tour title. “I didn’t have a good front-nine,” commented Arnold, who took some time before finding his rhythm in his round. “I fought back and had a great back nine!” Also highlighting the division was a hole-in-one on the 14th hole by nine year-old Bennett Love, of Red Deer, AB. The 2019 MJT Mini Tour National Boys 8U Champion finished tied for second place with a score of 72 in the Boys 9-10 division after this incredible feat.

Aleah Shields-Rodipe, 9, from Calgary, fired an excellent round of 71, making one birdie and an impressive 16 straight pars, to win the MJT Mini Tour Girls 9-10 title. “I worked really hard,” she said about the lots of prep work before the event. “I wanted to make lots of pars.” Shields-Rodipe finished the event with the ‘most pars or better’ in the field.

The MJT Boys 11-12 Division witnessed Taber, AB-resident Lyndon Kuryvial take home his first career MJT Mini Tour title. The 12-year old golfer fired a 77 at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort, making one birdie along the way. “My strategy was to focus on one shot at a time,” commented Kuryvial. “I think I won because I worried about my own game and not anybody else.”

11-year old Saylar May, of Rocky Mountain House, AB, recorded a 78 to take home the title in the MJT Girls 11-12 Division in convincing fashion. May made three birdies throughout her day and had this to say about her performance, “I had a great attitude today and I hit some clutch shots.”  

Calgary-native Niko Tran picked up his second consecutive 2020 MJT Mini Tour win with his performance at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort. The seven-year old rising star carded an 86 to win the MJT Boys 8U Division by three shots. “I made an important putt on 17,” commented Tran. “It gave me two putts to win on the 18th hole.”  

Coming all the way from Winnipeg, MB, to compete in the MJT Girls 8U Division was seven-year old Maisy Shewchuk. With the MJT Mini Tour holding off its Manitoba Circuit, Shewchuk made the trip to Lethbridge to showcase her talent in her first 2020 event, recording a 95.  

Full results of the event can be viewed here. The next 13U stop in Alberta is the MJT Mini Tour at Meadowlands Golf Club at Sylvan Lake on July 26. More details can be found online at www.maplejt.com.

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.

Media Contact:

Sadiq Jiwa, MJT Marketing and Communications Manager, sjiwa@maplejt.com