Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour
The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA ProfessionalsPress Release
June 24, 2023
Cultus Lake, BC
Chen chips in to win playoff in MJT Mini Tour at Cultus Lake
Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour hosted the seventh stop for the 2023 popular MJT BC Mini Tour circuit at Cultus Lake Golf Club in Cultus Lake, BC, on June 24, where a full field competed for titles in six divisions. Winners in each division qualified for the season-ending MJT Mini Tour National Championship in Tsawwassen, BC, this August, and if they had already qualified, the exemptions defaulted to the next highest-ranked player.
Cultus Lake Golf Club’s 18-hole executive layout was in immaculate condition and is always a must-play on the non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s 12U circuit. Ivan Chen, 12, of Vancouver, BC, won the MJT Boys 11-12 title on the first playoff hole with a 20-yard chip in, securing low overall honours among the Boys divisions, while this honour went to Kathleen Dunn, 12, of Surrey, BC among the Girls divisions. For Closest to the Pin winners, please visit the website here.
The next MJT Mini Tour stop in the province is the major championship, the Harry White Little Masters at Kings Links by the Sea in Delta, BC, on July 10-11, 2032, which still has a few openings – click here to register. For more information on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, please visit the website.
Top Finishers
MJT Girls 8U: Cultus Lake GC: Par 63, Ydg 2800
1 Stella Sun, White Rock, BC, F, 8 40-40 (80)
2 Grace Yuemeng Wu, Richmond, BC, F, 7 45-41 (86)
Stella Sun, 8, of White Rock, BC, won her second event of the season while claiming the MJT Girls 8U Division title at Cultus Lake. “I am happy and proud of this win because it was fun,” said Sun. “I was very calm and focused on the game.”
MJT Girls 9-10: Cultus Lake GC: Par 63, Ydg 3171
1 Victoria Shen, Surrey, BC, F, 9 33-36 (69)
2 Chloe Lam, Vancouver, BC, F, 9 34-34 (70)
3 April Zhang, Surrey, BC, F, 9 37-41 (78)
Victoria Shen, 9, of Surrey, BC, played steady coming in to hold off hard-charging Chloe Lam and win the MJT Girls 9-10 Division title. “I am happy, it is my first win of the year,” said Shen. “I made two birdies, which were important.”
MJT Girls 11-12: Cultus Lake GC: Par 63, Ydg 3511
1 Kathleen Dunn, Surrey, BC, F, 12 34-35 (69)
2 Satnam Gill, Surrey, BC, F, 12 35-35 (70)
3 Chloe Zhang, Vancouver, BC, F, 11 38-35 (73)
MJT veteran Kathleen Dunn, 12, of Surrey, BC, battled down to the last hole to win the MJT Girls 11-12 Division title by one shot. “This win feels awesome!” said Dunn. “I just tried to be patient.”
MJT Boys 8U: Cultus Lake GC: Par 63, Ydg 2800
1 Zhongjun Daniel Qi, Surrey, BC, M, 8 31-32 (63)
2 Everett Quewezance, Kamloops, BC, M, 8 31-34 (65)
3 Ben Gamley, North Vancouver , BC, M, 8 36-32 (68)
Zhongjun (Daniel) Qi, 8, of Surrey, BC, was steady and on point, firing a round of even par 63 to win the MJT Boys 8U Division title. “I feel good today,” said Qi. “I was happy because I made three birdies.”
MJT Boys 9-10: Cultus Lake GC: Par 63, Ydg 3171
1 James (Chenrui) Qiu, Surrey, BC, M, 10 32-31 (63)
2 Ziping Chen, Surrey, BC, M, 9 37-29 (66)
3 Luke Gamley, North Vancouver , BC, M, 10 36-31 (67)
James (Chenrui) Qiu, 10, of Surrey, BC, shot even par for the day to win the MJT Boys 9-10 Division title by three shots over his nearest rival. “I am very happy to be the winner again before I go to IMG Junior World Championship,” said Qiu. “Today my driver and irons were both solid and very straight; putter was also hot.”
MJT Boys 11-12: Cultus Lake GC: Par 63, Ydg 3511
1 Ivan Chen, Vancouver, BC, M, 12 34-31 (65) Playoff
1 Jackson Wang, Surrey, BC, M, 11 34-31 (65)
3 Ryu Shiina, Courtenay, BC, M, 12 34-35 (69)
Winning on the first playoff hole was 12-year-old Ivan Chen of Vancouver, his second MJT Boys 11-12 title on the 2023 circuit. “I was honestly surprised, it feels amazing to win once in a while,” said Chen. “My 20-yard chip in on the playoff hole was my shot of the day.”
Qualifiers:
MJT Mini Tour National Championship at Tsawwassen Springs GC: Grace Yuemeng Wu (Richmond), Victoria Shen (Surrey), Kathleen Dunn (Surrey), Ethan Jiang (Vancouver), Lewis Green (Courtenay), Ryu Shiina (Courtenay)
* Note: highest ranked players who are not already exempt will receive an invitation.
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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