Press Release - 2022 MJT Ontario Series at Settler's Ghost GC - July 30-31, 2022

July 30-31, 2022
Barrie, ON

Two playoffs plus Lane, Buhagiar take low overall titles in MJT Settler’s Ghost stop

Venue and location: Settler’s Ghost Golf Club, Barrie, ON

Tournament Date: July 30-31, 2022

Full Results: see website.

Tournament Highlights:

Canada’s leading Junior Golf Tour stopped in Barrie, ON, for the two-day MJT Ontario Series at Settler's Ghost Golf Club, where elite young golfers competed for division titles and Order of Merit points, hoping to qualify for the MJT National Championship in Orlando this November.
The tournament saw playoffs in two of the six age divisions: MJT Girls 15-19 and MJT Bantam Boys, with low overall boy and girl scores posted in MJT Juvenile and MJT Girls U15 respectively.
Barrie local, Leighton Wright, 18, won the MJT Junior Boys title in style after going low on his second round and finishing with rounds of 79-69=148.
The first playoff was in MJT Girls 15-19, where Leila Aghabi, 17, all the way from Dubai, claimed her first MJT win with a par on the first playoff hole against Ava Di Martino, 15, of Orangeville, ON. Both players had carded identical scores of 86-81= 167.
The MJT Juvenile Boys top spot alongside low overall boys score went to Josh Lane, 15, of Huntsville, ON, who won with fine rounds of 74-73=147.
Elliana Buhagiar, 12, of Bowmanville, ON, shot rock-solid rounds of 81-75= 156 for the low overall girls score and her third consecutive MJT Girls U15 title.
The second playoff, in the MJT Bantam Boys division, ended with the win going to Barron Mundy, 14, of Aurora, ON, over Spencer Shropshire, 14, of Oro-Medonte, ON. Mundy had forced a playoff after closing with a brilliant round of 68 (79-68=147) to tie for the lead with Shropshire (73-74=147) and then clinched the title after sinking a birdie on the second playoff hole.
Oscar Lin, 11, of Aurora, ON, carded 80-76=156, for a three-stroke victory in the MJT Peewee Boys division.
Winners of the Long Drive, Booster Juice BounceBack and Closest to the Pin awards are posted on the website.

Top Finishers

MJT U15 Girls: Settler's Ghost GC: Par 72, Ydg 5362, Slope/Rating 125/69.6

1 Elliana Buhagiar Bowmanville, ON F 12 81, 75 156

2 Olivia Johnson Calgary, AB F 13 80, 79 159

3 Sarah Mingwei Sun Richmond Hill, ON F 14 86, 80 166

Winner’s Quote: Elliana Buhagiar, 12, of Bowmanville, ON: “It is always good to win, but I know also I could have done a lot better still [which pushes me to get better for the next tournament]. I almost chipped out on hole 18, and I was very happy with my driver. I just kept taking deep breaths and forgot about the last shot and moved on.”

MJT 15-19 Girls: Settler's Ghost GC: Par 72, Ydg 5362, Slope/Rating 125/69.6

1 Leila Aghabi Dubai, UAE F 17 83, 84 167* Won in playoff

2 Ava Di Martino Orangeville, ON F 15 86, 81 167

3 Naomi Goh Markham, ON F 15 88, 86 174

Winner’s Quote: Leila Aghabi, 17, of Dubai: “I was excited, this is my first win in Canada, and my first time playing with the MJT. The course was in great shape, and I loved my playing partners. I just tried to remember the big picture, move on to the next shot and forget about the last hole.”

MJT Peewee Boys: Settler's Ghost GC: Par 72, Ydg 5362, Slope/Rating 117/65.1

1 Oscar Lin Aurora, ON M 11 80, 76 156

2 Austin Reid East Garafraxa, ON M 12 80, 79 159

3 Kieran Small Uxbridge, ON M 12 86, 89 175

Winner’s Quote: Oscar Lin, 11, of Aurora, ON: “I feel awesome and amazing about winning my division. There were definitely ups and downs in the two rounds that I played. On the first day, my putting was cold-handed, and I missed a lot of short putts. On the second day I played better and learnt from my mistakes. I learned from my mistakes and made all the short putts, my approach shots were under way better control, and I made a lot of birdies on the second round.”

MJT Bantam Boys: Settler's Ghost GC: Par 72, Ydg 5929, Slope/Rating 125/67.4

1 Barron Mundy Mississauga, ON M 14 79, 68 147* Won in playoff

2 Spencer Shropshire Oro-Medonte, ON M 14 73, 74 147

3 Dimitri Protopapas Innisfil, ON M 13 76, 80 156

Winner’s Quote: Barron Mundy, 14, of Mississauga, ON: “It was great, it was cool to win after being down six going into the second round. Making the six foot putt on hole 18 to force a playoff was a big highlight, and then to win that playoff.”

MJT Juvenile Boys: Settler's Ghost GC: Par 72, Ydg 6345, Slope/Rating 133/69.3

1 Josh Lane Huntsville, ON M 15 74, 73 147

2 Spencer Cranley Napanee, ON M 16 75, 76 151

3 Michael Collett Bracebridge, ON M 16 76, 77 153

3 Cole Thompson Beamsville, ON M 15 76, 77 153

Winner’s Quote: Josh Lane, 15, of Huntsville, ON: “I am happy I pulled through and made it happen. I got way more confident with putting throughout the tournament, which was a major moment. I dug deep and kept grinding and hit what I was most comfortable with.”

MJT Junior Boys: Settler's Ghost GC: Par 72, Ydg 6345, Slope/Rating 133/69.3

1 Leighton Wright Barrie, ON M 18 79, 69 148

2 Gabe Tovell Campbellville, ON M 17 74, 84 158

3 Johnathon Coffey Owen Sound, ON M 17 80, 79 159

Winner’s Quote: Leighton Wright, 18, of Barrie, ON: “I feel good winning after being down five going into day two. I made two birdies on the second round, which was a big highlight. I just played it shot by shot and focused on the shot ahead of me. The practice I’ve put in gives me confidence.”

Full results, Long Drive and Closest to the Pin winners are posted on the MJT website.

The next event on the MJT Junior Tour in Ontario is the major event MJT - Team TaylorMade Championship at The Club at Bond Head, in Bond Head, ON, August 6-7. To see the full 2022 MJT schedule and upcoming events, please check the MJT website 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 100 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:

Lauren Allard, Marketing

marketing@maplejt.com