Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour continued to see great demand with a full field of close to 100 very young players teeing off their season in the rain soaked MJT Mini Tour at Tsawwassen Springs Golf Course in Tsawwassen, BC, on Sunday, April 16, competing in six age divisions in challenging weather.

“The conditions were very difficult out there today,” said Lee J.H. Lee, MJT’s BC Mini Tour Director. “Heavy rain and winds affected the tournament a couple of times and the kids did great to finish and play as well as they did.”

Siblings Jack and Jenny Guo from West Vancouver, BC, were Low Overall Boy and Girl respectively. Every division winner qualified for the season-ending MJT Mini Tour National Championship this August in Tsawwassen, BC, while the Boys and Girls 9-10 and 8U winners were also short-listed for the IMG Academy Junior World Championship this July in San Diego, California. In addition, the top two finishers in each division qualified for the upcoming MJT Mini Tour Order of Merit Invitational at Quilchena Golf and Country Club in Richmond, BC, on May 27.

Results and quotes from the top finishers are noted below. For Closest to the Pin winners, please visit the MJT website here. The next MJT Mini Tour event is the wait-listed MJT Mini Tour at Musqueam GC on April 30, 2023.  To see the full 2023 British Columbia MJT Mini Tour schedule, please visit the website.

Top Finishers

MJT Girls 8U: Tsawwassen Springs: Par 70, Ydg 3070, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1          Luna Zhou, Vancouver, BC, F, 8                       82

2          Joanna Lin, Vancouver, BC, F, 8                      85

3          Stella Sun, White Rock , BC, F, 7                      86

Luna Zhou, 8, of Vancouver, BC, will be short-listed for the IMG Academy Junior Worlds for her solid play after a solid back nine 38 moved her to the top spot in MJT Girls 8U. Zhou said that she was ‘happy and excited, it makes me want to win again.’ 

MJT Girls 9-10: Tsawwassen Springs: Par 70, Ydg 4010, Slope/Rating 102/63.0

1          Jody Li, Burnaby, BC, F, 9                                83

2          Lucy Li, Vancouver , BC, F, 9                            87

3          Quorra Mi, Burnaby, BC, F, 10                         88

3          April Zhang, Surrey, BC, F, 8                            88

Jody Li, 9, of Burnaby, BC, bested her nearest competitor by four shots to win the MJT Girls 9-10 division. When asked about her win and the part of her game that was the most helpful, Li said, “My mental game (helped me to win).  I feel good because I can play in harsh weather.”

MJT Girls 11-12: Tsawwassen Springs: Par 70, Ydg 4781, Slope/Rating 115/67.4

1          Jenny Guo, West Vancouver , BC, F, 11          77

2          Satnam Gill, Surrey, BC, F, 12                          82

3          Emma Kim, Surrey, BC, F, 10                           88

3          Avva Nguyen, Richmond , BC, F, 11                88 

Jenny Guo, 11, of West Vancouver, BC, won the MJT Girls 11-12 division and low overall Girls title in a deep field.  “My putting, chipping, and mentality improved throughout the round and I made, like, five up and downs,” said Guo of her victory.  “My golf game was pretty solid today.”

MJT Boys 8U: Tsawwassen Springs: Par 70, Ydg 3070, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1          Alex Yage Chen, West Vancouver, BC, M, 8                74

2          Ben Gamley, North Vancouver , BC, M, 8                   78

3          Everett Quewezance, Kamloops, BC, M, 8                  80

Alex Yage Chen, 8, of West Vancouver, BC, went low in the MJT Boys 8U division with a fine score of 74 and will be short-listed for the IMG Academy Junior Worlds. “I feel good as it is my first MJT tournament,” said Chen. “My chipping is very good and I will do more chipping practice.”

MJT Boys 9-10: Tsawwassen Springs: Par 70, Ydg 4010, Slope/Rating 99/64.0

1          James (Chenrui) Qiu, Surrey, BC, M, 10                      69

2          Minxing Matt Li, Surrey, BC, M, 10                             73 

3          Bentley Hoogerdyk, Victoria, BC, M, 9                        75

Ten-year-old James (Chenrui) Qiu of Surrey, BC, played stellar golf as the only player to break par under very difficult conditions.  “I am very excited for the title because this is my first play this season,” said Qiu.  “Today my putter was so hot, I got five one-putt birdies when I was on the green.”

MJT Boys 11-12: Tsawwassen Springs: Par 70, Ydg 5097, Slope/Rating 110/66.6  

1          Jack Guo, West Vancouver , BC, M, 11                       74

2          Yujun (Tiger) Du, Delta , BC, M, 12                              75

3          Richie Chung, Vancouver, BC, M, 12                           76

3          Jackson Wang, Surrey, BC, M, 11                                76

Jack Guo, 11, of West Vancouver, BC, claimed the Low Overall Boys title and MJT Boys 11-12 division in the tightest race of the day.  “This feels good because it is my first win as an 11-year old,” said Guo.  “My caddie, Sean Yoon, helped me win and I learned to play and never give up until the last hole is done.”

Qualifiers:

IMG Academy Junior World Championship (Short-Listed Positions): 

Girls 8U Division: Luna Zhou (Vancouver)

Girls 9-10 division: Jody Li (Burnaby)

Boys 8U division: Alex Yage Chen (West Vancouver)

Boys 9-10 division: James (Chenrui) Chen (Surrey)

** NOTE: Qualifying for the IMG Academy Junior Worlds in the Boys / Girls 11–12-year-old divisions takes place on the MJT Junior Tour (2 day events) **

MJT Mini Tour National Championship: Luna Zhou (Vancouver), Jody Li (Burnaby), Jenny Guo (West Vancouver), Alex Yage Chen (West Vancouver), James (Chenrui) Qiu (Surrey), Jack Guo (West Vancouver)

MJT Order of Merit (OOM) Invitational at Quilchena CC: Top two in each age division.

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.