Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour
The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA ProfessionalsPress Release
April 30, 2023
Vancouver, BC
Popular MJT Mini Tour at Musqueam qualifies young golfers for three major events
It was another full field of 12U talent competing on Canada’s number one played Junior Golf Tour this past Sunday, in the non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Mini Tour at Musqueam Golf Club in Vancouver, BC, April 30. The popular event saw players competing in six divisions for titles plus select direct exemptions into three exclusive qualifiers: the FCG Callaway World Championship in Rancho Mirage, California, the MJT Mini Tour National Championship at Tsawwassen Springs, Tsawwassen, BC, and the MJT Order of Merit (OOM) Invitational at Quilchena Golf and Country Club in Richmond, BC.
“Musqueam Golf Club is in one of the most desired locations on the MJT BC Mini Tour,” said Lee J.H. Lee, MJT Tournament Director. “The course is relatively short, and it gives a chance to manage the course with finesse shots rather than overpower it with a driver.”
Kathleen Dunn, 11, of Surrey, BC, and Jason Zhang, 11, of Richmond, shot the Low Overall Girl and Boy scores respectively. Winners of the MJT Boys and Girls 9-10 and 8U earned direct exemptions into the FCG Callaway World Championship this July, while every division winner qualified for the season-ending MJT Mini Tour National Championship this August. In addition, the top two finishers per division qualified for the MJT Mini Tour OOM Invitational at Quilchena GC 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 in the province is the MJT Mini Tour at GreenTee Golf Club in Langley, May 13, 2023. To see the full 2023 British Columbia MJT Mini Tour schedule, please visit the website.
1 Luna Zhou, Vancouver, BC, F, 8 37-32 (69)
2 Joanna Lin, Vancouver, BC, F, 8 32-38 (70)
3 Stella Sun, White Rock, BC, F, 7 35-37 (72)
Luna Zhou, 8, of Vancouver, BC, outlasted the field and won the MJT Girls 8U title by one shot after playing well on the back nine to firm up the victory. “I feel very happy (that I won),” said Zhou. “I think my driver helped me a lot, it was the best.”
MJT Girls 9-10: Musqueam GC: Par 60, Ydg 3069, Slope/Rati ng 81/56.1
1 Jody Li, Burnaby, BC, F, 9 34-32 (66)
2 Lucy Li, Vancouver , BC, F, 9 34-36 (70)
3 Quorra Mi, Burnaby, BC, F, 10 36-37 (73)
Jody Li, 9, of Burnaby, BC, carded a solid score to win the MJT Girls 9-10 Division title by four strokes. When asked about her win, Li stated that “I feel good knowing that there are other people trying to compete and by being a good sport to other people. I can improve my game by overcoming the nerves if I am going to win again.”
MJT Girls 11-12: Musqueam GC: Par 60, Ydg 3471, Slope/Rating 84/58
1 Kathleen Dunn, Surrey, BC, F, 11 37-30 (67)
2 Chloe Zhang, Vancouver, BC, F, 11 33-37 (70)
3 Avva Nguyen, Richmond , BC, F, 11 35-39 (74)
MJT veteran, Kathleen Dunn, 11, of Surrey, BC, shot 30 on the back nine to win the Low Overall Girls score and MJT Girls 11-12 Division title by three shots. “I feel great, my caddie was awesome!” said Dunn. “My drives helped me win this tournament.”
MJT Boys 8U: Musqueam GC: Par 60, Ydg 2800, Slope/Rating 0/0.0
1 Zhongjun Daniel Qi, Surrey, BC, M, 8 32-35 (67)
2 Matthew Huang, Delta, BC, M, 8 33-36 (69)
3 Ethan Jiang, Vancouver, BC, M, 6 39-33 (72)
In the MJT Boys 8U Division, Zhongjun Daniel Qi, 8, of Surrey, BC, carved out a two-stroke victory. “(This win) gives me a lot of confidence in the future games,” said Qi. “I got a birdie and a few even pars.”
MJT Boys 9-10: Musqueam GC: Par 60, Ydg 3069, Slope/Rating 81/56.1
1 Kingston Ji, Coquitlam , BC, M, 10 30-32 (62)
2 Ziping Chen, Surrey, BC, M, 9 32-31 (63)
3 Luke Gamley, N. Vancouver , BC, M, 10 33-36 (69)
3 Minxing Matt Li, Surrey, BC, M, 10 32-37 (69)
3 Louis Sheng, Vancouver, BC, M, 10 34-35 (69)
Kingston Ji, 10, of Coquitlam, BC, finally broke through, winning his first MJT Mini Tour title in style in the Boys 9-10 Division. “I feel great, this is my first win on the MJT for this year and I’m really happy to be able to shoot a 62,” said Ji. “MJT events have helped my game a lot, helped me deal with the pressure on the tee box, my emotions on the course and it made me feel more comfortable with hitting risk shots.”
MJT Boys 11-12: Musqueam GC: Par 60, Ydg 3471, Slope/Rating 84/58.0
1 Jason Zhang, Richmond, BC, M, 11 30-30 (60)
2 Brayden Ko, Richmond, BC, M, 12 29-32 (61)
3 Yujun (Tiger) Du, Delta, BC, M, 12 33-32 (65)
Winning Low Overall Boys score and the MJT Boys 11-12 Division title was 11-year-old Jason Zhang of Richmond, BC. Zhang was the only player to shoot even par for the day, playing steady golf to win by a shot. “I felt pretty good, kind of nervous but really excited,” when asked about his win. “I think my putting was really good, I got a lot of up and downs which made me win this tournament.”
Qualifiers:
Direct Exemptions: FCG Callaway World Championship: Luna Zhou (Vancouver), Jody Li (Burnaby), Zhongjun Daniel Qi (Surrey) and Kingston Ji (Coquitlam)
MJT Mini Tour National Championship at Tsawwassen Springs GC: All division winners
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.
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