Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

August 31-September 1, 2023
Tsawwassen, BC

Two holes-in-one highlight Canada’s major 12U MJT Mini Tour Championship

Two fine weather days and the perfect venue of Tsawwassen Springs Golf Club in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, set the scene to showcase close to 100 talented 12U golfers from across Canada in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s MJT Mini Tour National Championship, the invitation-only season finale for players aged seven to 12 on Canada’s number-one played Junior Golf Tour. This successful event on August 31 and September 1, the only one of its kind in Canada for 12U players, fielded competitors from seven provinces, the United States and Grand Cayman, vying for National titles and the coveted Hoselton trophies in six divisions.

Players were treated to great tee gifts, refreshments, tons of prizes as well as a Guest Speaker talk by UBC Head Coach, Chris Macdonald, who stated his amazement at the young Canadian talent on full display.  Highlights included two hole-in-ones recorded, both by Vancouver, BC, golfers, namely Emily Yan on hole 15 and Ethan Jiang on hole 4, as well as fantastic scoring by many competitors. The divisional titles of MJT Mini Tour National Champion went Jayden H. X. Zhu of Surrey, BC, (72-73), in Boys 11-12, Jenny Guo of West Vancouver, BC (74-77), in Girls 11-12, Minxing Matt Li of Surrey, BC, in Boys 9-10, Sedona Weitz of Foothills M.D., AB, in Girls 9-10, Alex Yage Chen of West Vancouver, BC, in Boys 8U, and Luna Zhou of Vancouver, BC, in Girls 8U.

Top finisher scores and quotes from division winners are noted below, while full results, Closest to the Pin, Long Drive, and Booster Juice BounceBack award winners are posted on the MJT website here.

This event brings to a close another hugely successful season on the MJT Mini Tour circuit. Early Bird memberships for 2024 will be available in December. More information on Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour can be viewed online at www.maplejt.com. 

Top Finishers

MJT Girls 8U: Tsawwassen Springs: Par 70, Ydg 3000, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1 Luna Zhou, Vancouver, BC, F, 8                                                         70-77 (147)

2 Stella Sun, White Rock, BC, F, 8                                                         79-73 (152)

3 Elizabeth Yang, Vancouver, BC, F, 8                                                 85-87 (172) 

Luna Zhou, 8, of Vancouver, BC, wrapped up a perfect season, winning for the eighth time to take the MJT Girls 8U National Champion title by five strokes. “It feels really good to win because last year I lost by only a few shots,” said Zhou.  

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

1 Sedona Weitz, Foothills M.D., AB, F, 10                                        75-76 (151)

2 Maisy Shewchuk, Winnipeg, MB, F, 10                                          76-78 (154)

3 Lucy Li, Vancouver, BC, F, 10                                                            78-78 (156)

3 Jody Li, Burnaby, BC, F, 10                                                               77-79 (156) 

The MJT Girls 9-10 National Champion was 10-year-old Sedona Weitz of Foothills M.D, AB, who posted consistent rounds on the well-conditioned Tsawwassen Springs track for her fifth victory of the season.  “My favorite part about playing on the MJT is meeting new friends,” said Weitz. “To win the National Championship feels amazing. After all the hard work this year it finally paid off.” 

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

1 Jenny Guo, West Vancouver, BC, F, 11                                           74-77 (151)

2 Kathleen Dunn, Surrey, BC, F, 12                                                     75-77 (152)

3 Satnam Gill, Surrey, BC, F, 12                                                            74-81 (155)

Jenny Guo, 11, of West Vancouver, BC, edged out a one-shot victory to claim Low Overall Girl honours and the MJT Girls 11-12 National Champion title, her fourth win of the year.  

MJT Boys 8U: Tsawwassen Springs: Par 70, Ydg 3000, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1 Alex Yage Chen, West Vancouver, BC, M, 8                                     69-69 (138)

2 Zhongjun Daniel Qi, Surrey, BC, M, 8                                                 73-69 (142)

2 Everett Quewezance, Kamloops, BC, M, 8                                       72-70 (142)

Alex Yage Chen, 8, of West Vancouver, BC, fired incredible back-to-back 69’s from the MJT Boys 8U yardage and finished at two-under par to be crowned National Champion for his division.  “It feels good to win the National Championship on such a wonderful course,” said Chen, who notched up his second win of the year with a four-shot victory.  “My favorite part of playing the MJT is to meet new friends and beat my old records.”

MJT Boys 9-10: Tsawwassen Springs: Par 70, Ydg 4010, Slope/Rating 97/61.1

1 Minxing Matt Li, Surrey, BC, M, 10                                                     70-71 (141)

2 Luke Gamley, North Vancouver, BC, M, 10                                      72-73 (145)

2 Ziping Chen, Surrey, BC, M, 10                                                            71-74 (145)

Minxing Matt Li, 10, of Surrey, BC, played amazing golf and finished at one-over par to be crowned the MJT Boys 9-10 National Champion with a four-shot winning margin.  “Winning the National Championship felt like achieving a goal I’ve wanted all summer,” said Li.  “I never really knew I won till the end of scoring - the waiting felt like 24 hours.”

MJT Boys 11-12: Tsawwassen Springs: Par 70, Ydg 5097, Slope/Rating 109/65.1

1 Jayden H X Zhu, Surrey, BC, M, 11                                                   72-73 (145)

2 Haarjun Lotay, Burnaby, BC, M, 12                                                   76-72 (148)

2 Jack Guo, West Vancouver, BC, M, 11                                             73-75 (148)

2 Austin Nesbitt, Pilot Butte, SK, M, 12                                              73-75 (148)

In a tight race for the top, the MJT Boys 11-12 National Champion’s crown and Low Overall honours went to 11-year-old Jayden H X Zhu of Surrey, BC, who fired rounds of 72-73 to hold off hard-charging competitors who had to settle for a three-way tie for runner-up.

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

Follow the MJT on Twitter,  LIKE us on Facebook, Connect on LinkedIn, subscribe to MJT on Youtube or follow on Instagram