Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

 

The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), Canada’s number-one junior tour, was privileged to host a full field of 115 young golfers in the MJT Humber College PGM Classic at the iconic Banff Springs Golf Club in Banff, Alberta, on May 19-20, the second of five nationally sponsored events by MJT Platinum Partner, the Humber College Professional Golf Management Program.  The two-day tournament also served as a qualifier for three major events: the PGA Tour America’s-affiliated MJT Future Stars Invitational presented by ATB in Sherwood Park, AB, the East Coast Junior Championship in Moncton, NB, and the Junior America’s Cup in Utah, USA. 

 

MJT veteran Olivia Johnson, 15, from Calgary, AB, fired an impressive one-under par 71 on the final day to claim the Low Overall honours for the girls, while Mateo Kern, 17, of Calgary, finished the week at three-under par to lay claim to Low Overall honours for the boys.  

 

Other notable performances resulted in division wins by Justine Leon, 14, of Calgary (MJT U15 Girls), Harrison Wells, 12, of Edmonton, AB (MJT Peewee Boys), Luca Marengo, 14, of Calgary (MJT Bantam Boys), and Charles Greaves, 15, of Banff (MJT Juvenile Boys).  Each division winner automatically qualified for the East Coast Junior.

 

Kern secured an invitation to the MJT Future Stars Invitational presented by ATB at Northern Bear Golf Club in Sherwood Park, AB, with his performance, where he has the chance to qualify for a direct exemption into the actual PGA TOUR America’s event at the same facility. Recipients of the other qualifying spots are highlighted below, along with the top finisher scores and quotes from each division winner. London Drugs Long Drive, PLYR Closest to the Pin, Booster Juice BounceBack Awards and Academy Points can be found here.

 

The next stop in the province is the MJT Ford Series at Stony Plain Golf Course in Stony Plain, AB, June 15-16, 2024. For more information, please visit the MJT website at www.maplejt.com.

 

1 Justine Leon, Calgary, AB, F, 14                                                         81-76 (157)

2 Claire Chanyi, Priddis Greens, AB, F, 13                                           86-85 (171)

3 Logan Nguyen, Calgary, AB, F, 12                                                     100-107 (207)

 

Justine Leon, 14, of Calgary, AB, posted a solid 76 on the final day to walk away with the MJT U15 Girls Division title, her first win of the season.  “I was able to hit most fairways and it feels really good to capture the win,” she stated.

 

1 Olivia Johnson, Calgary, AB, F, 15                                                    77-71 (148)

2 Emma Liu, Edmonton, AB, F, 16                                                        79-73 (152)

3 Coryn Tardif, Sylvan Lake, AB, F, 16                                                 79-77 (156)

 

MJT Girls 15-19 and Low Overall Honours winner was Olivia Johnson, 15, of Calgary, AB, who posted a one-under par final round to pull away from her nearest rival.  “It feels really good to get a win in the older girls division,” said Johnson.  “It is always great being in Banff.”

 

1 Harrison Wells, Edmonton, AB, M, 12                                             93-78 (171)

2 Shane Sky, Foothills, AB, M, 9                                                            95-85 (180)

3 Tyson Laviolette, Calgary, AB, M, 12                                               98-88 (186)

 

Harrison Wells, 12, of Edmonton, AB, claimed his first victory of the season in the MJT Peewee Boys Division, posting the low score of the second day in his age group and winning by nine shots.  “I feel like I worked hard and overcame some problems,” said Wells.  “The win was made possible by good long (lag) putts.”

 

1 Luca Marengo, Calgary, AB, M, 14                                                       74-72 (146)

2 Luke Traverse, Revelstoke, BC, M, 13                                                 75-74 (149)

3 Luke MacDonald, Calgary, AB, M, 14                                                  82-72 (154)

3 Solomon Tong, Heritage Pointe, AB, M, 14                                      78-76 (154)

 

Fourteen-year-old Luca Marengo of Calgary finally broke into the winner’s circle, claiming the MJT Bantam Boys Division title by three shots.  When speaking about his victory, Marengo said, “It feels very good, it’s been a long time coming.”

 

1 Charles Greaves, Banff, AB, M, 15                                                    69-71 (140)

2 Brae Rogalczyk, Innisfail, AB, M, 16                                                 75-67 (142)

3 Brady Durkin, Sylvan Lake, AB, M, 16                                              76-72 (148)

3 Liam Czirjak, Rocky View County, AB, M, 15                                  74-74 (148)

 

Local Banff resident Charles Greaves, 15, finished the weekend in style at two-under par, holding off a hard charge by Brae Rogalczyk of Innisfail to win the MJT Juvenile Boys Division title.  “This feels very satisfying and is amazing to get my first win,” stated Greaves.  “I stayed calm, even after bad shots.”

 

1 Mateo Kern, Calgary, AB, M, 17                                                           70-69 (139)

2 Ethan Howes, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, M, 19                                  69-71 (140)

3 Payton Benneweis, Edmonton, AB, M, 17                                       75-69 (144)

3 Josiah Tong, Heritage Pointe, AB, M, 18                                          74-70 (144)

3 Jared Code, Calgary, AB, M, 17                                                           71-73 (144)

 

Mateo Kern, 17, of Calgary, AB, was the low overall boy for the weekend, finishing at an outstanding three-under par to edge out a one-stroke victory in the MJT Junior Boys Division.  “I feel very happy.  The satisfaction of putting up two solid rounds to win is a great feeling.”

 

MJT Future Stars presented by ATB: Mateo Kern (Calgary, AB)

East Coast Junior Championship: Mateo Kern, Charles Greaves, Luca Marengo, Harrison Wells, Olivia Johnson, Justine Leon

Junior America’s Cup: Team Alberta to be announced once qualifying completes.

 

About Humber College PGM Program: Humber College’s Business Administration - Professional Golf Management program is a ‘Recognized PGA of Canada program.’ Learning from industry pros, students gain hands-on experience with the latest golf technology, software and equipment in our world-class, Golf Lab facility, and receive golf coaching, club fitting and swing analysis from our team of PGA of Canada members. Our program also includes two six-month paid co-op internships.  Our students have the opportunity to play on the Humber Hawks varsity golf team, the most decorated golf team in Canada. For more information please visit our website at http://business.humber.ca/golf To see more on the Humber College Professional Golf Management (PGM) Program, watch this short video here or visit their website here. 

 

About the MJT: The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour is Canada’s #1 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 partners across various tiers, including Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels. The MJT hosts more than 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:  Jessica Parker, marketing@maplejt.com

Marketing Manager, MJT