Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour
The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA ProfessionalsPress Release
July 24, 2023
Pitt Meadows, BC
Full MJT Mini Tour field wins over weather at the private Pitt Meadows Golf Club
The Maple Leaf Junior Tour, Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour, hosted a full field of 70 Mini Tour players at the pristine Pitt Meadows Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, BC, on July 25, where titles in six divisions were on the line as well as the chance to qualify for the season-ending MJT Mini Tour National Championship in Tsawwassen, BC, this August.
Due to weather conditions, three out of the six divisions managed to complete all 18 holes: MJT Boys 8U, Girls 8U and Girls 9-10; the MJT Boys 9-10 division completed 17 holes and both MJT Boys and Girls 11-12 Divisions played 14 holes before lightning and rain forced a stoppage. Tournament staff worked diligently to get in as many holes as they could before finally stopping play.
Results from the top finishers and winner quotes are noted below, while Closest to the Pin winners are posted on the MJT website here. In the divisions which completed all 18 holes, highlights included Jodi Li, 9, of Burnaby, BC, finishing the day with an incredible seven-under 66, 8-year old Everett Quewezance of Kamloops, BC, finishing with a one-over 73, and a tie for the lead in the MJT Girls 8U division between Luna Zhou, 8, of Vancouver, BC, and Stella Sun, 8, of White Rock, BC, with Zhou winning via countback.
The next MJT Mini Tour stop in the province is the MJT Mini Tour at Guildford Golf Club in Surrey, BC, on August 14, 2032, which still has openings – players can click here to register. For more information on the non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, please visit the website.
Top Finishers
MJT Girls 8U: Pitt Meadows GC: Par 73, Ydg 3370, Slope/Rating 0/0.0
Completed 18 holes
1 Luna Zhou, Vancouver, BC, F, 8, +5 39-39 (78) Countback
2 Stella Sun, White Rock, BC, F, 8, +5 37-41 (78)
3 Grace Yuemeng Wu, Richmond, BC, F, 7, +21 48-46 (94)
The MJT Girls 8U Division ended in a tie for the lead after completing all 18 holes with Luna Zhou, 8, of Vancouver, BC, winning via countback over 8-year-old Stella Sun of White Rock. Both girls finished at five over par. “It feels really exciting to win,” said Zhou. “I just tried to stay calm, even when it was raining.”
MJT Girls 9-10: Pitt Meadows GC: Par 73, Ydg 3370, Slope/Rating 0/0.0
Completed 18 holes
1 Jody Li, Burnaby, BC, F, 9 34-32 (66)
2 Quorra Mi, Burnaby, BC, F, 10 36-37 (73)
3 Lucy Li, Vancouver, BC, F, 9 39-35 (74)
3 Emily Yan, Vancouver, BC, F, 10 36-38 (74)
Setting the course on fire was Jodi Li, 9, of Burnaby, BC, who had eight birdies on the day to post a tournament low seven-under par and win the MJT Girls 9-10 Division title. “It feels good knowing that I can play in the rain,” said Li. “It felt good coming down the stretch and I was making most of my putts for birdie.”
MJT Girls 11-12: Pitt Meadows GC: Par 73, Ydg 4835, Slope/Rating 0/0.0
Completed 14 holes (Par through 14 holes is 57)
1 Rikki Liu, Vancouver, BC, F, 11 38-23 (61) Countback
1 Avva Nguyen, Richmond, BC, F, 11 38-23 (61)
3 Satnam Gill, Surrey, BC, F, 12 42-22 (64)
3 Velvet Haynes, Kelowna, BC, F, 11 41-23 (64)
The MJT Girls 11-12 Division also ended in a tie after two 11-year-old players, Rikki Liu of Vancouver and Avva Nguyen of Richmond, both finished 14 holes at four-over par. The trophy as determined by countback went to Liu, who stated, “It felt amazing to win after coming out in the rain and doing my best. It was really challenging on the greens and really cold.”
MJT Boys 8U: Pitt Meadows GC: Par 72, Ydg 3370, Slope/Rating 0/0.0
Completed 18 holes
1 Everett Quewezance, Kamloops, BC, M, 8 35-38 (73)
2 Matthew Huang, Delta, BC, M, 8 39-37 (76)
2 Eric Wu, Richmond, BC, M, 7 38-38 (76)
Making the trip from Kamloops, BC, worth his while was 8-year-old Everett Quewezance, who finished all 18 holes at one over par to win the MJT 8U Boys Division title by three strokes. “The win feels great, I have not won since Richmond (in March),” said Quewezance. “Coming down the stretch I tried to refocus after a couple of bad bogeys.”
MJT Boys 9-10: Pitt Meadows GC: Par 72, Ydg 4835, Slope/Rating 0/0.0
Completed 17 holes (Par through 17 holes is 67)
1 James (Chenrui) Qiu, Surrey, BC, M, 10 32-32 (64)
2 Arron Wang, Richmond, BC, M, 10 36-36 (72)
3 Ziping Chen, Surrey, BC, M, 9 42-33 (75)
3 David Chaofan Wu, Richmond, BC, M, 10 42-33 (75)
MJT Boys 11-12: Pitt Meadows GC:
Completed 14 holes (Par through 14 holes is 56)
1 Brayden Ko, Richmond, BC, M, 12 39-22 (61)
2 Ryan Gibbens, North Vancouver, BC, M, 12 42-23 (65)
2 Haarjun Lotay, Burnaby, BC, M, 12 41-24 (65)
2 Kaden Phan, Vancouver, BC, M, 12 41-24 (65)
Twelve-year-old Brayden Ko of Richmond, BC, shot a fine five-over par through 14 holes in extremely difficult weather to win the MJT Boys 11-12 Division. “The win feels great, with all of the hard conditions and the rain,” said Ko. “I am very thankful for my caddy. He had a big impact on my win and I am just very thankful for him.”
Qualifiers:
MJT Mini Tour National Championship at Tsawwassen Springs GC: Ryan Gibbens (North Vancouver), Arron Wang (Richmond), Matthew Huang (Delta), Eric Wu (Richmond), Emily Yan (Vancouver), Rikki Liu (Vancouver), Avva Nguyen (Richmond), and Chloe He (Richmond)
* Note: If division winners are already exempt, the spot defaults to next highest-ranked player.
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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