Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

May 21-22, 2023
Banff, AB

Iconic Fairmont Banff Springs hosts 126 in weather shortened MJT Humber College PGM Classic

The iconic Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course in beautiful Banff, Alberta, hosted a huge field of 126 young golfers on the non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), Canada’s number one-played junior tour, for the MJT Humber College PGM Classic over the May long weekend. This was the second of five nationally sponsored events by Tournament Partner, Humber College PGM Program.  Players were competing for titles in six divisions plus vying to qualify for two major events solely offered by the MJT in Canada: the PGA Tour Canada-affiliated MJT Future Stars presented by ATB in Edmonton, AB, this June, and the Junior Americas Cup (Team Alberta) which plays in Reno, Nevada, this August.

During round two, severe weather came in and forced a stoppage of play and with more lightning on the radar plus a time crunch, the tournament had to be called and decided based on results from day one.  Some impressive scoring was recorded, including three-under-par 68’s from Kye Fisher, 18, of Leduc, Tobias Buffam, 16, of Calgary and Jaiden Koonar, 18, of Calgary, in the Boys divisions, and an even par 72 from Tessa Ion, 16, from Calgary, AB, in the Girls. As Koonar and Fisher are already exempt for the MJT Future Stars, Buffam will receive an invitation to this highly anticipated event. Qualifying for the Junior Americas Cup is on-going and Team Alberta will be announced once completed in early June.

Top finishers, winner quotes and qualified players are below; the results from the TaylorMade Long Drive, PLYR Closest to the Pin, Booster Juice BounceBack Awards and Academy Points can be found on the tournament page on the website.  

The next stop in the province is the waitlisted MJT Ford Series at Stony Plain Golf Course in Stony Plain, June 17 and 18. For the full schedule as well as more details on the MJT, please visit the website at www.maplejt.com. 

Top Finishers

MJT Girls U15: Par 72, 5607 Ydg, Slope / Rating 133/71.3

1 Saylar May, Rocky Mountain House, AB, F, 14                                39-38 (77)

2 Alessandra Sundquist, Calgary, AB, F, 12                                         40-39 (79)

3 Sela Ogada, Calgary, AB, F, 12                                                          41-40 (81)

Saylar May, 14, of Rocky Mountain House, AB, played a steady round on the first day on her way to winning the MJT U15 Girls Division title.  “I feel really good considering I’ve been in contention at every event this far,” said May.  “It was a great mental test considering my tough start.”

MJT Girls 15-19: Par 72, 5607 Ydg, Slope / Rating 133/71.3

1 Tessa Ion, Calgary, AB, F, 16                                                            35-37 (72)

2  Jadyn Gracie, Calgary, AB, F, 16                                                      37-43 (80)

3  Emma Liu, Edmonton, AB, F, 15                                                      37-44 (81)

Tessa Ion, 16, of Calgary, AB, managed the golf course well on her way to winning the MJT Girls 15-19 Division title. “I feel really good about starting the season with a win as it makes me feel like all the work I put into the game during the winter is starting to pay off,” said Ion.  “I am improving at course management as it was playing relatively short and I had room to choose what strategy I wanted to go for.”

MJT Peewee Boys: Par 71, 5607 Ydg , Slope / Rating  117/65.6

1 Jacob Natomagan, Sylvan Lake, AB, M, 12                                       37-41 (78)

2 Erik Petersen, Okotoks, AB, M, 11                                                   44-45 (89)

3 Weston Beatty, Calgary, AB, M, 10                                                  57-51 (108)

Jacob Natomagan, 12, of Sylvan Lake, AB, was on point this week as he ran away with the MJT Peewee Boys Division title in dominant fashion. “(This win) feels awesome!  Coach Luke and I have been working hard on my swing all winter and it is paying off,” said Natomagan.  “Banff Springs forces you to hit fairways and avoid a lot of bunkers that are protecting the greens. It makes you have to be accurate and think about every shot.”

MJT Bantam Boys: Par 72, 6019 Ydg , Slope / Rating 123/68.0

1 Brady Wagner, Sherwood Park, AB, M, 14                                       38-35 (73) Countback

1 Solomon Tong, Heritage Pointe, AB, M, 13                                      33-40 (73) 

3 Sam Cook, Calgary, AB, M, 14                                                          36-38 (74)

Brady Wagner, 14, of Sherwood Park, AB, claimed the MJT Bantam Boys Division title in an extremely tight race, ultimately winning based on the MJT Countback system.  “It feels awesome to get my first win on the MJT and a great start to the tournament season,” said Wagner.  “My chipping was phenomenal this tournament, I chipped in on number 16.  Also, my tee shots were great all week, finding fairways and bombing it.”

MJT Juvenile Boys: Par 72, 6573 Ydg, Slope / Rating 128/70.6

1 Tobias Buffam, Calgary, AB, M, 16                                                   34-34 (68)

2 Cashe McNabb, Calgary, AB, M, 16                                                  35-35 (70)

2 Brae Rogalczyk, Innisfail, AB, M, 15                                                 35-35 (70)

The MJT Juvenile Boys Division title went to Tobias Buffam, 16, of Calgary, AB, who carded a fantastic score of three-under 68.  Buffam will receive an invitation into the MJT Future Stars Invitational presented by ATB at Northern Bear Golf Club in Edmonton as a result.  “It feels great to get a win after a rocky start to the season,” said Buffam.  I’ve worked hard on my game these past few weeks and it is nice to see it pay off.”

MJT Junior Boys: Par 72, Ydg 6573 Slope / Rating 128/70.6

1 Kye Fisher, Leduc, AB, M, 18                                                            35-33 (68) Countback

1 Jaiden Koonar, Calgary, AB, M, 18                                                   34-34 (68)

3 Josiah Tong, Heritage Pointe, AB, M, 17                                          34-35 (69)

It was a tough battle in the MJT Junior Boys Division with some brilliant scoring. Kye Fisher, 18, of Leduc, AB, won the title via countback after tying with Jaiden Koonar of Calgary and besting Josiah Tong of Heritage Pointe by one shot, with all three players breaking par.  “I am really excited to have won my first back-to-back event,” said Fisher.  “I was happy to see all the parts of my game come together but my putter definitely helped me in the final few holes of the first day.”

Qualifiers List:

MJT Future Stars Invitational: Tobias Buffam (Calgary) ** Note: Fisher and Koonar are already exempt

Junior America’s Cup Team: on-going qualifying, team finalized in early June.

About Humber College PGM Program: Humber College’s Business Administration - Professional Golf Management program is a Recognized PGA of Canada program. 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, Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour tmatson@maplejt.com

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