Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

A full field of young golfing talent showed their skills on Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour in six age divisions in the MJT G&G Brands Classic at GreenTee Country Club in Langley, British Columbia, on April 22-23, 2023, where decent weather on day one allowed for low scoring but day two was a different story. “Kudos to the 94 players who came out to play in another tough weekend with the weather,” said Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s BC Tournament Director, Chris Hood. “We got lucky on Saturday but the rain came down hard on the second day, making scoring more difficult.”

A few of the many highlights were playoffs in both the Junior and Bantam Boys divisions, won by Justin Bjornson (17) of Surrey, BC, and Aaron Che (12) of Richmond, BC, respectively, along with a sizzling 66 shot by Girls U15 champion, 14-year-old Rose Zhiyan Chen of Langley, BC. All division winners qualified for the MJT’s exclusive exemptions into the FCG Callaway World Championship in Rancho Mirage, California, this July.

Top results and winner quotes are detailed below. For details on the TaylorMade Long Drive, PLYR Closest to the Pin, Booster Juice BounceBack Awards and Academy Points, please click here.   The next MJT event in BC is the MJT PLYR Series at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club in Abbotsford, May 20-21. For more information on the MJT, please visit the website at www.maplejt.com.

Top Finishers by Division

 

MJT Girls U15: Par 72, Ydg 5413, Slope/Rating 120/70.5

1 Rose Zhiyan Chen, Langley, BC, F, 14                       66-72 (138)

2 Yeeun (Jenny) Kwon, Vancouver, BC, F, 14              68-76 (144)

3 Charlotte Tam, Burnaby, BC, F, 12                           77-82(159)

3 Chelsie Ji, Coquitlam , BC, F, 13                                75-84 (159)

Rose Zhiyan Chen, 14, of Langley, opened with a blazing six-under-66 and never looked back ­on her way to claiming Low Overall and MJT Girls U15 Champion. “I feel really accomplished, especially with my six under on the first day,” said Chen.  “My approach shots were consistent on the first day and my putting was pretty good.”

MJT Girls 15-19: Par 72, Ydg 5413, Slope/Rating 120/70.5

1 June Hsiao, Coquitlam, BC, F, 16                  72-75 (147)

2 Zhehui (Hui) Yu, Burnaby, BC, F, 15             76-78 (154)

3 Heather Zhang, Vancouver, BC, F, 16          89-77 (166)

June Hsiao, 16, of Coquitlam, BC, played steady golf throughout the weekend on her way to victory in the MJT Girls 15-19 division.  “I feel great about winning an MJT event in my first start of 2023!” said Hsiao. “I was trying to just enjoy myself as much as I can in tough conditions.”

MJT Peewee Boys: Par 72, Ydg 5413, Slope/Rating 108/65.5

1 David Zhang, White Rock , BC, M, 11           74-73 (147)

2 Tiger Zhao, Vancouver, BC, M, 12                71-77 (148)

3 Jayden H X Zhu, Surrey, BC, M, 11               73-76 (149)

David Zhang, 11, of White Rock, BC, came back from a three-shot deficit to beat first round leader Tiger Zhao by one shot in a tight race.  “I feel great after shooting a couple of pretty decent scores then a perfect round.  I just feel awesome,” said Zhang when asked about his victory on the MJT.  “I just feel a lot of confidence when I step onto the tee.”

MJT Bantam Boys: Par 72, Ydg 6150, Slope/Rating 115/70.0

1 Aaron Che, Richmond, BC, M, 12                 77-71 (148) Won Playoff

1 Ryan LePrieur, Langley, BC, M, 14               75-73 (148)

3 Jim (ChengZe) Zhu, Vancouver, BC, M, 14   76-74 (150) 

3 Jeevyn Lotay, Burnaby, BC, M, 13                73-77 (150)

Aaron Che, 12, of Richmond, BC, needed one playoff hole to determine the G&G Brands Classic champion in the Bantam Boys division. When describing his victory and his final round 71 (-1), Che stated that, “I think it helps my game with my confidence because I would lose hope if I have a bad hole but this time I kept focus the whole time.  I feel awesome and hope to win more this year.”

MJT Juvenile Boys: Par 72, Ydg 6360, Slope/Rating 122/70.3

1 Louis Chun, Port Coquitlam, BC, M, 16                    72-73 (145)

2 Hyunjun Lee, Vancouver, BC, M, 16                         71-75 (146)

3 Michael Huang, Vancouver, BC, M, 15                     76-71 (147)

3 Austin Krahn, Christina Lake, BC, M, 15                   73-74 (147)

3 Thomas Zhang, Vancouver, BC, M, 15                     72-75 (147)

In a very tight race where two shots separated first from fifth, 16-year old Louis Chun of Port Coquitlam, BC, opened the second day with a three-under 32 on the front nine and held on to win the MJT Juvenile Boys title.  “I am very happy that my hard work has paid off,” said Chun.  “My tee shots were very consistent and set me up for my next shot.  (MJT events) help me understand and improve my mistakes.” 

MJT Junior Boys: Par 72, Ydg 6360, Slope/Rating 122/70.3

1 Justin Bjornson, Surrey, BC, M, 17               73-70 (143) Won Playoff

1 Manu Gandhi, West Vancouver, BC, M, 18 71-72 (143)

3 Ethan Langston, Langley, BC, M, 16             73-79 (152)

Two top players, Manu Gandhi, 18, of West Vancouver, BC, and Justin Bjornson, 17, of Surrey, BC, had to battle for Low Overall Honours in a playoff, ultimately won by Bjornson. “It felt great! I have been knocking on the door for a while now, it was nice to finally pull through,” said Bjornson, who now qualifies for both the FCG Callaway World Championship and the MJT Future Stars presented by ATB. “It has been two and a half years since I won on this tour and to do it in the same place, stuffing it to a foot on the first playoff hole, is a memory I will never forget.”

Qualifiers:

FCG World Championship: Charlotte Tam (Burnaby, BC), Rose Zhiyan Chen (Langley, BC), June Hsiao (Coquitlam, BC), David Zhang (White Rock, BC), Aaron Che (Richmond, BC), and Justin Bjornson (Surrey, BC)

MJT Future Stars Invitational presented by ATB: Justin Bjornson (Surrey, BC)

About G&G Brands: Based in Langley, BC, G&G Brands is a leading Canadian wholesale supplier of lifestyle and sporting goods, specializing in the golf industry and the corporate promotional industry. Since Gord German founded the business in 1991, it has continued to evolve and to this day remains proudly family-owned with daily operations being carried out by Brad and Jessica German. G&G offers over twenty top quality brands, two national sales forces and a best-in-class customer service team to support over 1000 active accounts across Canada. In its 30th year of business, G&G continues to share its collaborative formula for success with its current and prospective customers, suppliers, and employees alike.

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.

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