Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour
The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA ProfessionalsPress Release
August 26-27, 2023
Brooklin, ON
Three playoffs highlight MJT Humber College PGM Classic at Lakeridge Links
It was a great end to the regular season this past weekend in Brooklin, Ontario, on Canada’s number-one played junior tour, the non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, as 83 young players came out to compete in either the two-day Junior Tour (19U) event on the Lakeridge Links course on August 26 and 27, or the one-day Mini Tour (12U) event on August 26 on the Whispering Ridge course at the same facility. Results of the Junior Tour stop, which was the final Humber College PGM sponsored event on the program for 2023, are detailed below. There were six division titles and MJT Order of Merit points on the line, all geared towards securing last minute invitations to the prestigious MJT National Championship presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf at The Wigwam Golf Resort in Arizona this November.
Top finisher scores and winner quotes follow, 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. Highlights from the event included David Ursu of Markham, ON, winning Low Overall Boys score with his MJT Junior Boys Division title, while Low Overall for the Girls was a shared honour between Kassandra Rombouts of Florence, ON, and Sarah Xing of Richmond Hill, ON, the Division winners of MJT Girls 15-19 and 15U respectively. Three of the divisions had ties for the lead and needed playoffs to determine the final victors, namely William Chen of Toronto, ON, in MJT Peewee Boys, Ben Julie of Fenwick, ON, in MJT Bantam Boys, and Nate Ditto of St. Catherines, ON, in MJT Juvenile Boys.
MJT would like to thank all athletes and families for their tremendous support in Ontario this season. Early Bird Memberships for 2024 will be available December 1. For more information as well as previews of the upcoming MJT National Championship and the qualifying criteria, please visit the MJT website here.
The MJT Humber College PGM Classic at Lakeridge Links brings to a close another successful season in Ontario. The MJT wishes to thank all the players and families for their fantastic support. Early Bird memberships for 2024 will be available in December. More information on Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour, as well as results of the invitation-only MJT National Team Challenge in Niagara, ON, this September, as well as the prestigious MJT National Championship in Arizona this November, can be viewed online at www.maplejt.com.
Top Finishers
MJT Girls 15-19 : Lakeridge Links: Par 72, Ydg 5188, Slope/Rating 120/72.4
1 Kassandra Rombouts, Florence, ON, F, 15 80-82 (162)
2 Naomi Goh, Markham, ON, F, 16 85-85 (170)
3 Grace Mayer, Cobou, ON, F, 16 88-89 (177)
MJT veteran, Kassandra Rombouts, 15, of Florence, ON, played solid, consistent golf to win the MJT Girls 15-19 Division title by eight shots for her first win of the season. “It feels great to win my first junior girls MJT event,” said Rombouts. “I was just trying to hit one shot at a time.”
MJT Girls U15: Lakeridge Links: Par 72, Ydg 5188, Slope/Rating 120/72.4
1 Sarah Xing, Richmond Hill, ON, F, 11 83-79 (162)
2 Sophia Reid, Fonthill, ON, F, 12 89-86 (175)
Sarah Xing, 11, of Richmond Hill, ON, broke 80 on the final day to pull away and win the MJT U15 Girls Division for her first title of the 2023 season. “It feels decent,” said Xing. “I just kept trying harder and only made one birdie putt.”
MJT Peewee Boys: Lakeridge Links: Par 72, Ydg 5188, Slope/Rating 120/68.2
1 William Chen, Toronto, ON, M, 11 83-72 (155) Playoff
1 Hoffmann Tchong, Markham, ON, M, 11 79-76 (155)
3 Gerry Kou, Markham, ON, M, 11 78-80 (158)
William Chen, 11, of Toronto, ON, made up a huge first day deficit after carding a great final round of even par to force a playoff with Hoffman Tchong, 11, of Markham, ON, in the MJT Peewee Division. Chen took the title on the first playoff holes for his first victory on the MJT. “It feels good because I shot even par 72,” said Chen. “I feel excited and positive after the win.”
MJT Bantam Boys: Lakeridge Links: Par 72, Ydg 6041, Slope/Rating 124/70.2
1 Ben Julie, Fenwick, ON, M, 14 76-77 (153) Playoff
1 Matthew Gray, Beamsville, ON, M, 14 78-75 (153)
3 Ken Deng, Burlington, ON, M, 14 79-75 (154)
Winning the MJT Bantam Boys title in a playoff with Matthew Gray, 14, of Beamsville, ON, by shooting par on the first extra hole, was 14-year-old Ben Julie of Fenwick, ON. This was Julie’s second win of the season. “It feels great to win, my short game felt good,” he said. “Hitting my approach shot onto the green in the playoff ended up being the most important shot of the weekend for me.”
MJT Juvenile Boys: Lakeridge Links: Par 72, Ydg 6520, Slope/Rating 131/72.4
1 Nate Ditto, St. Catharines, ON, M, 16 81-76 (157) Playoff
1 Josh Ye, Markham, ON, M, 15 79-78 (157)
1 Zack MacMillan, Toronto, ON, M, 16 77-80 (157)
Chipping in for birdie on the fourth extra hole was Nate Ditto, 16, of St. Catherines, ON, who defeated Josh Ye, 15, of Markham, ON, and Zack MacMillan, 16, of Toronto, ON, in a three-way playoff to claim MJT Juvenile Boys Division title. “This win feels good because I have played bad in MJT before,” said Ditto. “I felt very nervous when the playoff started but started to calm down once we started going.”
MJT Junior Boys: Lakeridge Links: Par 72, Ydg 6520, Slope/Rating 131/72.4
1 David Ursu, Markham, ON, M, 17 76-77 (153)
2 Quin Doherty, Whitby, ON, M, 19 79-79 (158)
2 Nicholas Giannone, Toronto, ON, M, 17 76-82 (158)
Winning the MJT Junior Boys Division title by five strokes and claiming Low Overall honours was David Ursu, 17, of Markham, ON. “It feels good to get back into the winners circle,” said Ursu. “This gives me some confidence for upcoming tournaments as well.”
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 the 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, tmatson@maplejt.com, Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour
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