Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

 

The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), Canada’s number one junior golf tour, hosted a deep field of 90 golfers in the MJT Humber College PGM Classic at Rebel Creek Golf Club in Petersburg, Ontario, on June 8 and 9, in the third of a five-event national series sponsored by the Humber College Professional Golf Management Program.  Players were competing for titles in six divisions plus short-listed spots on both MJT Team Canada to the Jack Newton International Junior Classic in Australia, and on Team MJT in the National Team Challenge presented by Canada Life at Sawmill Golf Club in Ontario.

 

It was a very difficult two weather days on the pristine Rebel Creek golf course, with winds whipping up to 50km per hour and some scattered showers adding to the wind on day two.  Despite the weather, players enjoyed superbly conditioned greens, a fantastic pace of play courtesy of the MJT’s ‘Ready2Play’ (R2P) initiative, pizza by Panago Pizza, tee gifts courtesy of the Humber College PGM Program, custom ball fitting on the driving range by Titleist Canada, and an interactive range session by Foresight Canada, allowing players to ‘see the numbers.’  

 

Low Overall Boy and Girl honours went to Spencer Shropshire, 16, of Ramara, ON, and Karolyn Zeng, 18, of Maple, ON, who won their respective division titles in MJT Juvenile Boys and MJT Girls 15-19. Both are now short-listed for the MJT National Team Challenge this September.  Shropshire and runner-up for low overall score, Kael Mosburger, 16, of Baden, ON, are both short-listed for MJT Team Canada to Australia this October, which is open to boys aged 15-17 as of October 4, 2024. 

 

Other notable performances resulted in division wins for Gracie Vescan, 14, of Mississauga, ON, F, 14, in MJT Girls U15, Gerry Kou, 12, of Markham, ON in MJT Peewee Boys, Justin Chu, 14, of North York, ON, in MJT Bantam Boys, and Mark McLeod, 18, of Guelph, ON, in MJT Junior Boys. Their winner quotes alongside top finisher scores are highlighted below. 

 

Results from the Projekt Long Drive, PLYR Closest to the Pin, Booster Juice BounceBack Awards and Academy Points can be found on the MJT website here.  

 

Registration is on-going for the next stop in the province, the MJT Maui Jim Series at Tangle Creek G&CC in Thornton, ON, on June 22-23. For more information on the MJT or to register, please visit the website at www.maplejt.com.

 

1 Gracie Vescan, Mississauga, ON, F, 14                                                         79-86 (165)

2 Krisline Truong, Mississauga, ON, F, 13                                                       90-78 (168)

2 Grace (HyunYi) Kim, Burlington, ON, F, 12                                                 82-86 (168)

 

Winning for the fist time this season was 14-year-old Gracie Vescan of Mississauga, ON, who posted an impressive 79 on the first day in tough conditions and held on to claim the MJT Girls U15 Division title.  “Coming into this tournament I had as strong attitude mentally and physically,” said Vescan.  “Staying focused is a strong part of my game.”

 

1 Karolyn Zeng, Maple, ON, F, 18                                                                     78-80 (158) 

2 Francesca Ampil, Brampton, ON, F, 15                                                        79-81 (160)

3 Sarah Xing, Richmond Hill, ON, F, 12                                                           80-83 (163)

 

The MJT Girls 15-19 Division title and Low Overall honours went to 18-year-old Karolyn Zeng of Maple, ON, who played steady for both days for a two-shot victory.  “I have been practicing hard and working on my game all week,” said Zeng of her tournament preparation.  “I am just trying to stay in the moment under pressure.”

 

1 Gerry Kou, Markham, ON, M, 12                                                                  77-82 (159)

2 Ben Brisson, Kitchener, ON, M, 12                                                               87-93 (180)

3 Raaghav Khera, Toronto, ON, M, 10                                                       113-115 (228)

 

Grinding out his third win of the young season was 12-year-old Gerry Kou of Markham, ON, in the MJT Peewee Boys Division title, who felt conflicted about his success.  “Mentally I am okay, but my swing is broken,” said Kou.  “I have no confidence, but I stayed focused and smiled.”

 

1 Justin Chu, North York, ON, M, 14                                                                 76-72 (148)

2 Dustin Zhao, Maple, ON, M, 12                                                                       77-77 (154)

3 Callum McDonald, Mount Forest, ON, M, 14                                              77-78 (155)

 

Justin Chu, 14, of North York, ON, won his third MJT Bantam Boys title on the MJT this season after posting a level par 72 on the final day to pull away from the field.  “It was a busy week with school exams but I made sure to get to the course,” said Chu.  “I practiced and played a few rounds to get into the tournament mindset.”

 

1 Spencer Shropshire, Ramara, ON, M, 16                                                     67-75 (142)

2 Kael Mosburger, Baden, ON, M, 16                                                              77-73 (150)

3 Carter Banton, Kitchener, ON, M, 16                                                           78-74 (152)

3 Marcus D'Aguilar, Kitchener, ON, M, 15                                                      75-77 (152)

 

Playing the first day with a brilliant scorecard of 13 pars, five birdies and no bogeys propelled Spencer Shropshire, 16, of Ramara, ON, into the lead in MJT Juvenile Boys, where he finished triumphantly with the added honours of Low Overall Boys score.  “I have spent a lot of time out on the range and went through my routines before this event,” said Shropshire.  “I am just trying to stay within myself and this relieves pressure on getting my first win.”

 

1 Mark McLeod, Guelph, ON, M, 18                                                               76-76 (152)

2 Max Rudy, Toronto, ON, M, 17                                                                     78-75 (153)

3 Will Burleigh, Grimsby, ON, M, 17                                                               80-74 (154)

 

The MJT Junior Boys title was won by Mark McLeod, 18, of Guelph, ON, who posted steady back-to-back 76’s to hold off Max Rudy of Toronto by one shot.  “Before the weekend I was feeling confident,” said McLeod.  “In the closing holes, it was really close, but I stayed with my game the whole way!”

 

MJT Team Canada to Jack Newton International Junior Classic: New South Wales, Australia: Spencer Shropshire (Ramara, ON) and Kael Mosburger (Baden, ON)

Note: International Junior Classic is open to players aged 15-17 as of October 4, 2024.

MJT National Team Challenge presented by Canada Life:  Spencer Shropshire (Ramara, ON) and Karolyn Zeng (Maple, ON)

 

About Humber College PGM Program: Humber College’s Business Administration - Professional Golf Management program is a Recognized PGA of Canada program. Gain a business education, develop your golf game, and embark on a career you will love. Gain valuable experience and earn income during our two six-month paid co-op terms. Our on-campus Golf Lab is a world-class golf performance training facility run by PGA Professionals. Our Golf Lab is equipped with three Simulator Rooms, a Golf Retail Shop, Golf Club Workshop, and 2000 square feet of putting surface. Our students have the opportunity to play on the Humber Hawks varsity golf team, the most decorated golf team in Canada. 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