Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

March 22, 2023
Richmond, BC

Richmond Country Club hosts top young talent in MJT’s Mini Tour Spring Invitational

One of the top private golf clubs in British Columbia graciously hosted the season-opener for Canada’s number one-played junior tour recently, when the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s MJT Mini Tour’s Order of Merit (OOM) Spring Invitational teed off at Richmond Country Club in Richmond on March 22. Some spectacular scoring was recorded out of the qualified field of players aged 12 and under.

Lee J.H. Lee, British Columbia Mini Tour Director, said, “It was very special in that the juniors had a chance to play on Richmond Country Club’s beautiful course, on dry, firm fairways and fast greens.  It was a perfect day to start our season and showcase the competitors hard work over the winter months.”  

Winners qualified for both the FCG Callaway World Championship this July in Rancho Mirage, California, and for the MJT Mini Tour National Championship this August in Tsawwassen, BC.  In addition, the top two finishers in each division qualified for the MJT Mini Tour Order of Merit Invitational at Quilchena Golf and Country Club in Richmond on May 27.

Results and quotes from the top finishers are noted below. For Closest to the Pin and Long Drive Award winners, please visit the MJT website here.

The next MJT Mini Tour event is the MJT Mini Tour / IMG Junior Worlds Qualifier at Tsawwassen Springs in Tsawwassen, BC, on April 16.  To see the full 2023 British Columbia MJT Mini Tour schedule, please visit the website.

Top Finishers

MJT Girls 9-10: Richmond CC: Par 72, Ydg 3800,

1.  Jody Li, Burnaby, BC, F, 9, = 74
2.  Lucy Li, Vancouver, BC, F, 9, = 80 
3.  April Zhang, Surrey, BC, F, 8, = 82
4.  Laura Zhao, Vancouver, BC, F, 9, = 82 

In the MJT Girls 9-10 division, Jody Lee, 9, of Burnaby, played steady golf finishing the day at +2 on a challenging Richmond CC track.  Li worked this off season practicing with coach Colin (Bykowski) who was on the bag for her today and when asked about her win, Li stated “I feel really good knowing that the MJT would be my start.”

MJT Girls 11-12: Richmond CC: Par 72, Ydg 4800,

1.  Emily Shi, Richmond, BC, F, 11, = 76 
2.  Kathleen Dunn, Surrey, BC, F, 11, = 77 
3.  Grace Guan, Vancouver, BC, F, 12, = 77

The tightest race of the day saw 11-year old Emily Shi of Richmond shooting a 38 on the back nine to claim the MJT Girls 11-12 division title by one stroke over two competitors tied for second. “I was very nervous in the beginning but after playing for a bit I got used to it because Richmond CC is my home golf course,”said Shi. “(My goal) is to play a few tournaments and hopefully improve more than last year.”

MJT Boys 8U: Richmond CC: Par 72, Ydg 3800,

1. Everett Quewezance, Kamloops, BC, M, 8, = 77 
2. Ben Gamley, North Vancouver , BC, M, 8, = 78 
3. Matthew Huang, Delta, BC, M, 8, = 86 

Kamloops’s Everett Quewezance, 8, played solid golf on the back nine, coming back from a one-shot deficit after the front to win the MJT Boys 8U division.  When asked about his win, Quewezance was quick to praise his fellow competitors.  “(This win) feels excellent because I was able to play with some great players. My goal this year is to learn how to take my game to another level.”

MJT Boys 9-10: Richmond CC: Par 72, Ydg 4400,

1. Ziping Chen, Surrey, BC, M, 9 = 69 
2. James (Chenrui) Qiu, Surrey, BC, M, 10, = 76 
3. Felix Qu, Burnaby, BC, M, 8, = 80 

Finishing at -3 for the day was 9-year old Ziping Chen of Surrey, who went low in the MJT Boys 9-10 division. Chen made seven birdies out there and tied his ‘most birdies in a round’ record.  “My highlights were when I chipped it in on hole 16 and making four birdies and a bogey free back nine.”  

MJT Boys 11-12: Richmond CC: Par 72, Ydg 5073, Slope/Rating 115/64.764.7

1.  Ivan Chen, Vancouver , BC, M, 11, = 69 
2.  David Zhang, White Rock , BC, M, 11, = 72 
3.  Brayden Ko, Richmond , BC, M, 12, = 73 

Ivan Chen, 11, of Vancouver, carded four birdies on the back nine to stretch his lead and claim the MJT Boys 11-12 division title.  “I feel great and I’m very pleased with my game,” said Chen, who finished at -3 for the day.  “My goal for this year is to never give up and to commit to every shot.”  

Qualifiers:

FCG Callaway World Championship and MJT Mini Tour National Championship: Jodi Li, Emily Shi, Everett Quewezance, Ziping Chen, and Ivan Chen

MJT Order of Merit (OOM) Invitational at Quilchena CC: Jodi Li, Lucy Li, Emily Shi, Kathleen Dunn, Everett Quewezance, Ben Gamley, Ziping Chen, James (Chenrui) Qiu, Ivan Chen and David Zhang

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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