Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

March 18-20, 2023
Vancouver, BC

Full field of top juniors play first MJT major of 2023 in Humber College PGM Classic

A wait-listed field of top junior golfers recently competed in the three-day MJT Humber College PGM Classic at University Golf Club in Vancouver, British Columbia, March 18 through 20, hosted by Canada’s number one-played junior tour, the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT). This was the first of five events in a nationally sponsored MJT series by the Humber College Professional Golf Management (PGM) Program, and the first major MJT Order of Merit (OOM) event of the season.  

“When you look at the scoring out there this week and how low each division winner shot, this major event confirms the depth of junior golf in Canada,” said Chris Hood, BC Tournament Director. “University Golf Club is a great venue and three good weather days helps with running a successful event.”  The outstanding scores recorded included a hole-in-one by Jack Guo, 10, of West Vancouver, BC, on day one of the competition.

Winners received custom-designed Hoselton trophies in six divisions, several juniors qualified for spots in high level events such as the MJT Future Stars Invitational, FCG Callaway World Golf Championship and the International Junior Masters, and major MJT OOM points were awarded along with World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), AJGA PBE Stars, Global Golf and Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings.

For full tournament results, please visit the MJT website here, and for the TaylorMade Long Drive, PLYR Closest to the Pin, Booster Juice BounceBack Award and Academy Points standings, see here.  

The next tournament is the wait listed MJT Team TaylorMade (West) Championship at Morgan Creek Golf Club in Surrey on April 8-9. To see the entire 2023 MJT schedule, please visit the website here.

Top Finishers by Division

MJT Girls U15: Par 71, Ydg 5541, Slope/Rating 120/72.05 

Fourteen-year old Rose Zhiyan Chen of Langley, BC, continued her fine play after coming off a runner-up finish at last week’s MJT event at Golden Eagle Golf Club and won the MJT Girls U15 title.  Chen credits her quick start this season to ‘practicing harder and pinpointing problems for prevention.’ Regarding this win, Chen said, “I feel great, though some areas can definitely improve.”

MJT Girls 15-19: Par 71, Ydg 5541, Slope/Rating 120/72.0

Finishing at one-under par (-1) in the MJT Girls 15-18 Division was YanLing (Elaine) Liu, 15, of Vancouver, BC, who came from a four stroke deficit on the final day to claim both the division and Low Overall Girls titles.  “It feels great to play MJT as my first tournament of the year,” said Liu.  “I took a nice break during the winter and practiced as much as I can.” 

On another note, third place finisher, MJT Member Ha Young Chang of Surrey, BC, is heading off to Augusta, Georgia, this April, where she will complete in the final of the Drive, Chip and Putt competition at The Masters!

MJT Peewee Boys: Par 71, Ydg 5541, Slope/Rating 114/66

In the MJT Peewee Boys division, Tiger Zhao won his second event in a row after firing a fine final round of 69.  Zhao mentioned that he has had ‘lots of practice with my new launch monitor and putting on my putting matt.’ 

Another highlight was a hole-in-one by 10-year-old Jack Guo of West Vancouver, BC, on the fourth hole during round one.

 MJT Bantam Boys: Par 71, Ydg 6056, Slope/Rating 119/69.0

Notching his first victory of his MJT career as MJT Bantam Boys champion was Ryan LePrieur, 14, of Langley, BC, who finished at even par for the week to claim the title and direct entry into the FCG Callaway World Championship this July.  “I am super excited, this gives me lots of confidence and momentum going forward,” stated LePrieur of his victory. “My goals for the year are to qualify for nationals and finish top three on the Order of Merit.”

MJT Juvenile Boys: Par 71, Ydg 6423, Slope/Rating 125/70.8

Eric Joo, 16, of Coquitlam, BC, closed with another great round of 68 for back-to-back MJT Juvenile Boys division wins on the MJT.  Joo noted hat he ‘practiced a lot of shot shaping’ this off-season for his quick start. When asked about goals this year, Joo said that he would like to become ‘Player of the Year on the MJT.’

MJT Junior Boys: Par 71, Ydg 6423, Slope/Rating 125/70.8

The tightest race of the tournament was in the MJT Junior Boys division where 17-year-old Manu Gandhi of West Vancouver, BC, held off a hard charge from MJT veteran Justin Bjornson of Surrey, BC, to claim the division and Low Overall Boys titles, along with the sole exemptions into both the MJT Future Stars Invitational presented  by ATB and the International Junior Masters.  Gandhi said, “It feels nice to start the season off with some solid play. I worked really hard on fitness and chipping (this off-season) and it was nice to see the hard work pay off.”

Qualified Players:

FCG World Championship: Rose Zhiyan Chen, Charlotte Tam, June Hsiao, YanLing (Elaine) Liu, Matthew Cui, Ryan LePrieur, and Manu Gandhi

MJT Future Stars Invitational presented by ATB: Manu Gandhi

International Junior Masters: Manu Gandhi

About Humber College PGM Program: Humber College’s Business Administration - Professional Golf Management program is a Recognized PGA of Canada program. MJT members receive a $1,000 bursary upon admittance. Gain a business education, develop your golf game, and embark on a career you will love. Gain valuable experience and earn income during our two six-month paid co-op terms. Our on-campus Golf Lab is a world-class golf performance training facility run by PGA Professionals. Our Golf Lab is equipped with three Simulator Rooms, a Golf Retail Shop, Golf Club Workshop, and 2000 square feet of putting surface. Our students have the opportunity to play on the Humber Hawks varsity golf team, the most decorated golf team in Canada. To see more on the Humber College Professional Golf Management (PGM) Program, watch this short video here or visit their website here. 

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 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: 

Trent Matson

National Operations Director

Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour

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