Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour
The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA ProfessionalsPress Release
August 14-15, 2023
Chilliwack, BC
Playoff plus low overall wins by Whiting and Liang highlight MJT Ford Series at Chilliwack
Over 125 youth come out to participate in events hosted by Canada’s number one-played Junior Tour at Chilliwack Golf and Country Club in Chilliwack, BC, August 13 to 15, all sponsored by MJT Premier Partner, Ford Canada. The events included a free junior golf clinic courtesy of Chilliwack Ford to introduce kids in the community to the game on August 13, and the MJT Ford Series, a two-day, high-level tournament for 19U golfers on August 14 and 15. Results of the latter, where players were competing for titles in six divisions plus the opportunity to win a 2024 Ford Escape valued at $40,000 in a Ford Hole in One contest, are highlighted below.
Perfect weather allowed the 81 participants to post some great numbers. Top finisher scores and quotes from the winners are noted below, while results from the TaylorMade Long Drive, PLYR Closest to the Pin, Booster Juice BounceBack Awards and Academy Points can be found on the MJT website here. Low overall honours for Girls and Boys respectively went to Cici Pou leng Liang of Richmond, BC, and first-time MJT winner, Anthony Whiting of North Vancouver, BC, as both finished at one-over par for the week to win in the MJT Girls 15-19 and MJT Juvenile Boys divisions. Other highlights include Elsa Wu of Maple Ridge, BC, and Tiger Yuanjun Liu of Surrey, BC, both carding a two-under 70 on the final day to pull away from their nearest competitors and win in MJT Girls U15 and MJT Peewee Boys, respectively. The MJT Bantam title had to be decided in a playoff, won by Ryan LePrieur of Langley, BC, while the MJT Junior Boys title was awarded by a four-stroke winning margin to Kyle Dale of Kelowna, BC.
The next event in the province is the heavily wait-listed MJT Ford Series at Mayfair Lakes Golf Club in Richmond, BC, September 30 – October 1. For more information on the non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, please visit the website at www.maplejt.com.
Top Finishers
MJT Girls U15: Chilliwack G&CC: Par 72, Ydg 5589, Slope/Rating 122/71.2
1 Elsa Wu, Maple Ridge, BC, F, 13 76-70 (146)
2 Olina Liang, Vancouver, BC, F, 13 78-76 (154)
3 Connie Yang, Vancouver, BC, F, 13 79-76 (155)
The MJT Girls U15 Division title went to Elsa Wu, 13, of Maple Ridge, BC, who posted a final round 70 (two-under par) to pull away from everyone in her division for the win. “The win feels nice,” said Wu. “I tried to stay very calm, and a highlight was a chip in for eagle.”
MJT Girls 15-19: Chilliwack G&CC: Par 72, Ydg 5589, Slope/Rating 122/71.2
1 Cici Pou Ieng Liang, Richmond, BC, F, 14 73-72 (145)
2 Kaitlyn Lee, Coquitlam, BC, F, 15 80-76 (156)
3 Ashley Klimowicz, Coquitlam, BC, F, 16 79-78 (157)
Cici Pou leng Liang, 14, of Richmond, BC, played flawless golf and won MJT Girls 15-19 Division for her second time this year, along with Low Overall honours. “It feels great to win, I have really worked on my short irons and wedges,” said Liang. “I drank a lot of water and just tried to play my own game.”
MJT Peewee Boys: Chilliwack G&CC: Par 72, Ydg 5589, Slope/Rating 115/68.3
1 Tiger Yuanjun Liu, Surrey, BC, M, 12 75-70 (145)
2 Tiger Zhao, Vancouver, BC, M, 12 75-74 (149)
3 Jayden H X Zhu, Surrey, BC, M, 11 75-75 (150)
3 Haarjun Lotay, Burnaby, BC, M, 12 72-78 (150)
The MJT Peewee Boys Division was won by 12-year-old Tiger Yuanjun Liu of Surrey, BC, who shot a final round two-under 70 to pull away from the field. “It feels great to finally win,” said Liu. “I’ve been close so many times, but I finally did it this week!”
MJT Bantam Boys : Chilliwack G&CC: Par 72, Ydg 6166, Slope/Rating 120/69.4
1 Ryan LePrieur, Langley, BC, M, 14 70-72 (142) Playoff
2 Jeevyn Lotay, Burnaby, BC, M, 13 73-69 (142)
3 Jack Jin, Port Moody, BC, M, 13 73-74 (147)
Ryan LePrieur, 14, of Langley, BC, and Jeevyn Lotay, 13, of Burnaby, BC, finished regulation tied at two-under par in the MJT Bantam Boys Division, with LePrieur winning the title with a par on the second playoff hole. “It feels great to win, this gives me confidence in my game,” said LePrieur. “Coming down the stretch, I wanted to limit mistakes and put the pressure on my competitor.”
MJT Juvenile Boys: Chilliwack G&CC: Par 72, Ydg 6484, Slope/Rating 125/70.8
1 Anthony Whiting, North Vancouver, BC, M, 15 74-71 (145)
2 Trevor Wong, Vancouver, BC, M, 15 77-71 (148)
3 Blake Newell, Surrey, BC, M, 16 70-80 (150)
Low Overall and the MJT Juvenile Boys title went to Anthony Whiting, 15, of North Vancouver, BC, who fired great rounds of 74-71 to finish at one over par for his first MJT victory. “It feels amazing to get my first win,” Whiting stated. “My approach shot into 18 had to clear a tree while being 200 yards out – I knew that shot could be the deciding factor. I am really glad to have lots of support from my playing partners this week and would like to give a special thanks to MJT for hosting this event.”
MJT Junior Boys: Chilliwack G&CC: Par 72, Ydg 6484, Slope/Rating 125/70.8
1 Kyle Dale, Kelowna, BC, M, 17 75-74 (149)
2 Max Hager, Kelowna, BC, M, 17 77-76 (153)
2 Jack Talstra, Langley, BC, M, 19 74-79 (153)
Kyle Dale, 17, of Kelowna, BC, posted very consistent rounds at Chilliwack to win the MJT Junior Boys Division by four shots, his second win of the season. “It feels good to win near the coast,” said Dale. “I’ve had a history of not playing good here so it feels nice.”
About Ford Canada: Ford of Canada and the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) are proud to continue with the successful MJT Ford Go Golf! Junior Clinics - an initiative that introduces golf for free to young people, teaching them a game they can benefit from their entire lives. Many thousands of kids have participated in this program since 2006. Clinics have been held in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan where participating Ford Dealers offer free MJT Ford Go Golf! Junior Clinics conducted by PGA of Canada Professionals to children in their community. Ford and the Ford Dealers Association wish to support amateur sport in their communities by introducing children to golf, encouraging them to learn the fundamentals, and rewarding them for their efforts. www.ford.ca
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, tmatson@maplejt.com, Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour
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