May 5, 2024
Crossfield, AB
The Alberta circuit of the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Mini Tour for 12U players had an exciting start to the 2024 season on May 5 at Collicutt Siding Golf Club in Crossfield, AB, with qualifying for four major U13 Golf Championships up for grabs in various age categories. These major events included the FCG Callaway World Championship in Rancho Mirage, California, the MJT Mini Tour National Championship in Tsawwassen, BC, the World Stars Junior Golf Championship in Las Vegas, NV, and the IMG Academy Junior Worlds in San Diego, California.
Players saw tough scoring conditions, but the rain, wind and chilly temperatures couldn’t dampen the excitement of the first event of the season. David Chaofan Wu, 10, of Richmond, BC, and Sedona Weitz, 11, of Foothills, M.D, AB, carded the low overall Boy and Girl scores, winning their respective age divisions of MJT Boys 11-12 and MJT Girls 11-12. The other high performing division winners included Grace Yuemeng Wu (Richmond, BC), Ethan Jiang (Vancouver, BC), and Caleb Topshee (Rocky View County, AB).
Top finisher scores and quotes from each division winner are noted below, along with a list of the qualified players. Closest to the Pin winners are posted on the MJT website here.
The next event on the MJT Alberta Mini Tour schedule is the MJT Mini Tour Spring Series at Blue Devil Golf Club in Calgary, AB, on May 25. For more information, please see the full schedule here.
MJT Girls 9-10: Collicutt Siding GC: Par 72, Ydg 4378, Slope/Rating 0/0.0
1: Grace Yuemeng Wu (8), Richmond, BC | 76
2: Ain Lee (10), Sylvan Lake, AB | 79
3: Brooke Sundquist (9), Calgary, AB | 100
In the Girls 9-10 Division, eight-year-old Grace Yeumeng Wu of Richmond, BC, shot 76 en route to claiming the MJT Division title. “I feel very happy and excited to win today,” stated Wu. “I won this because I had a good chip and a good swing, and my driver was good.”
MJT Girls 11-12: Collicutt Siding GC: Par 72, Ydg 5273, Slope/Rating 117/69.7
1: Sedona Weitz (11), Foothills M.D., AB | 82
2: Sydney Preston (11), Calgary, AB | 100
3: Tricia Zeng (10), Calgary, AB | 103
Sedona Weitz from Foothills M.D., AB, was Low Overall playing from the furthest yardage and won the MJT Girls 11-12 Division title. “My ball striking was excellent and my putting was pretty good today,” said Weitz. “I felt very surprised and happy for this win.”
MJT Boys 8U: Collicutt Siding GC: Par 72, Ydg 3617, Slope/Rating 0/0.0
1: Ethan Jiang (7), Vancouver, BC | 77
2: Jacob Topshee (8), Rocky View County, AB | 81
3: Naeem Fazel (8), Calgary, AB | 83
3: Allen Kong (8), West Kelowna, BC | 83
Seven-year-old Ethan Jiang of Vancouver, BC, made the trip to Crossfield worth his while by winning the MJT Boys 8U Division title. “I was focused even though I had a bad warm up,” said Jiang.
MJT Boys 9-10: Collicutt Siding GC: Par 72, Ydg 4378, Slope/Rating 0/0.0
1: Caleb Topshee (10), Rocky View County, AB | 76
2: Cohen Bridge (10), Corman Park, SK | 78
3: Rylan Hryhirchuk (9), Irma, AB | 81
3: Wyatt Lazic (10), Calgary, AB | 81
3: Ronnie Li (10), Calgary, AB | 81
3: Blake McIntosh (10), Lethbridge, AB | 81
In an extremely close field, the MJT Boys 9-10 Division title went to Caleb Topshee of Rocky View County, AB, who won by two shots over his nearest competitor. “It felt excellent to win today as the conditions were really tough,” said Topshee. “My putting helped a lot today.”
MJT Boys 11-12: Collicutt Siding GC: Par 72, Ydg 5273, Slope/Rating 110/67.9
1: David Chaofan Wu (10), Richmond, BC | 78
2: Jacob Brunette (12), Calgary, AB | 80
3: Hudson Lien (12), Calgary, AB | 81
Winning for the first time on the MJT was ten-year old David Chaofan Wu of Richmond, BC, who also made the trip to Alberta pay off after posting consistent rounds of 39-39 to claim the MJT Boys 11-12 Division title. “I was glad to battle the difficult conditions today,” said Wu. “This was a good event.”
Qualifiers:
Direct Exemptions: FCG Callaway World Championship (Direct Exemptions):
Boys 8U: Ethan Jiang (Vancouver, BC)
Boys 9-10: David Chaofan Wu (Richmond, BC)
Girls 8U: Grace Yeumeng Wu (Richmond, BC)
Girls 9-10: Ain Lee (Sylvan Lake, AB)
MJT Mini Tour National Championship at Tsawwassen Springs GC:
Grace Yuemeng Wu, Sedona Weitz, Ethan Jiang, Caleb Topshee, David Chaofan Wu
IMG Academy Junior World Championship – Short Listed Positions:
Boys 8U: Ethan Jiang (Vancouver, BC)
Boys 9-10: David Chaofan Wu (Richmond, BC)
Girls 8U: Grace Yeumeng Wu (Richmond, BC)
Girls 9-10: Ain Lee (Sylvan Lake, AB)
World Stars Junior Golf Championship: Jacob Topshee and Caleb Topshee (Rocky View County, AB).
About the MJT: The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour is Canada’s number one 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 partners in various tiers, including Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The MJT hosts over 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 and Communications Manager, MJT