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Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA Professionals

Press Release

May 20, 2023
Breslau, ON

MJT Mini Tour hosts major qualifier at Merry-Hill as 12U circuit tees off 25th Anniversary Season

 

The Ontario circuit of the non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Mini Tour teed off its 25th anniversary season for 12U players at Merry-Hill Golf Club in Breslau, this past weekend, with qualifying for three major U13 Golf Championships up for grabs.  Winners of the Boys and Girls 9-10 and 8U divisions each earned direct exemptions into the hugely popular FCG Callaway World Championship in Rancho Mirage, California, this July, and all division winners qualified for the season-ending MJT Mini Tour National Championship in Tsawwassen, BC, this August. In addition, the low players in each age category were short-listed for the IMG Academy Junior Worlds in San Diego, California, also in July.  

Ethan Tan, 12, of Oakville, ON, and Weijian Lu, 10, of Markham, ON, both played steady golf and tied for the Low Overall honours for the boys on the tough Merry-Hill layout.  Low Overall Girl honours went to 11-year-old Kaeleigh Chung of Richmond Hill, ON, who played from the same tees as the boys and matched their rounds of 70.  The three who shot 70, along with all division winners, qualified for the FCG Callaway World Championship and the MJT Mini Tour National Championship.

Results and quotes from the top finishers are noted below. For Closest to the Pin winners, please visit the MJT website here. The next stop in the province is back in Breslau with the second MJT Mini Tour at Merry-Hill GCon June 3, 2023 – there is still room, so please register here.  For more information on Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour, including details of the entire 2023 MJT Mini Tour schedule, please visit the website.

Top Finishers

MJT Girls 8U: Par 62, Ydg 3389, Slope/Rating 87/61.5

Lanai Park, Oakville , ON, F, 7                                                           39-43 (82)

Abigail Steinmetz, Waterloo, ON, F, 8                                              46-50 (96)

Grace Black, Paris, ON, F, 7                                                              60-64 (124)

Lanai Park, 7, of Oakville, ON, younger sister of MJT veteran golfers, Kaprice and Nobelle Park, continued the family tradition and won the MJT Girls 8U Division title.  “(The win) feels really good,” said Park.  “My short game was good.”

MJT Girls 9-10: Par 62, Ydg 4165, Slope/Rating 92/59.8

Amanda Zhang, Richmond Hill, ON, F, 10                                        39-44 (83)

Sophia Noh, Richmond Hill, ON, F, 9                                                39-47 (86)

Avery McGuire, King City, ON, F, 10                                                 41-47 (88)

Amanda Zhang, 10, of Richmond Hill, ON, played solid golf coming down the stretch to outlast her competitors and win the MJT Girls 9-10 Division title.  “Winning feels very good because it makes me more confident,” said Zhang.  “(The MJT tournaments) help me with my distance and my short game helped me win today.”

MJT Girls 11-12: Par 62, Ydg 4165, Slope/Rating 92/59.8

Kaeleigh Chung, Richmond Hill, ON, F, 11                                       35-35 (70)

2  Mona Zhao, Richmond Hill , ON, F, 11                                            40-36 (76)                               

3  Katherine Xia, Richmond Hill, ON, F, 10                                          38-40 (78)

Kaeleigh Chung, 11, of Richmond Hill, ON, matched the low score for the day en-route to winning the MJT Girls 11-12 Division title. “I made a couple of birdies,” stated Chung.  “It was a very fun experience today.”

MJT Boys 9-10: Par 62, Ydg 4165, Slope/Rating 92/59.8

Weijian Lu, Markham, ON, M, 10                                                     35-35 (70)

2  Clark Kirkham, Shelburne, ON, M, 10                                             34-42 (76)

3  Enzo Prieto, Toronto, ON, M, 9                                                       40-39 (79)

3  Derek Zhao, Maple, ON, M, 9                                                         37-42 (79)

Weijian Lu, 10, of Markham, ON, ended last season with a win and continued where he left off to claim the MJT Boys 9-10 Division title with a great score of 70.  “I feel very happy and ready for future tournaments”, said Lu.  “(The experience today) helped me to understand that even if the yardages are far, you can still do good.”

MJT Boys 11-12: Par 62, Ydg 4165, Slope/Rating 92/59.8

Ethan Tan, Oakville , ON, M, 12                                                       32-38 (70)                   

Dustin Zhao, Maple, ON, M, 11                                                        32-39 (71)

Cooper Eisen, North York, ON, M, 12                                              39-40 (79)

Ethan Tan, 12, of Oakville, ON, carded a fine round of 70 to hold off a hard-charging Dustin Zhao and win the MJT Boys 11-12 Division title by one stroke. “I feel good about winning the first tournament,” stated Tan.  “My putting helped win today because I made a lot of long putts.”

Qualifiers:

FCG Callaway World Championship (Direct Exemptions for 8U and 9-10 Divisions): Lanai Park (Oakville), Amanda Zhang (Richmond Hill), Weijian Lu (Markham)

MJT Mini Tour National Championship at Tsawwassen Springs GC (Direct Exemptions): Lanai Park (Oakville), Amanda Zhang (Richmond Hill), Kaeleigh Chung (Richmond Hill, ON), Weijian Lu (Markham), Ethan Tan (Oakville)

IMG Academy Junior World Championship (Short-Listed Positions for 8U and 9-10 Divisions): Lanai Park (Oakville), Katherine Xia (Richmond Hill), Weijian Lu (Markham)

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