Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

 

Canada’s leading competitive junior golf tour, the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), teed off a MJT Mini Tour stop for 7 to 12 year olds at Brookfield Country Club in Cambridge, ON, on August 18. Set on the club’s beautiful parkland layout, rising stars competed in six divisions over 18 holes for titles, hardware, and tons of prizes. 

Leading performances were rewarded with division titles for Niklas Zierik, 12, of Collingwood, ON, in MJT Boys 11-12 (74), Jingyan Meng, 11, of Markham, ON, in MJT Girls 11-12 (88), James Plunkett, 9, from Guelph, ON, in MJT Boys 9-10 (92), Islay Oh, 9, from Toronto, ON, in MJT Girls 9-10 (88), Bentley Klompmaker, 8, of Bancroft, ON, in MJT Boys 8U (93), and June Cooper, 7, of Alvinston, ON, in MJT Girls 8U (122).             

Quotes from the division winners and top finisher scores are detailed below. Full results, as well as winners of the Closest-to-the-Pin competition, are posted on the MJT website here.

The next MJT Mini Tour event in the province is at Whispering Ridge Golf Club in Brooklin on August 23. For more information on the MJT and upcoming events, visit www.maplejt.com.
 

1. Niklas Zierik (12), Collingwood, ON | 74     

2. Braden Keating (12), Stratford, ON | 80     

2. Jaxon Mitchell (11), Burlington, ON | 80

Collingwood’s Niklas Zierik, age 12, fired a strong 74 to claim the MJT Boys 11–12 title by a single stroke over a tie for second. “(It feels) awesome! I've been practicing every day, even when I didn't want to because I knew it would pay off, as shown today,” he said. His highlights included ‘playing with my friends, having fun, playing new courses,’ while he gave a nod to the ‘nice course, good work.’

 

1. Jingyan Meng (11), Markham, ON | 88

At just 11 years old, Markham, ON’s Jingyan Meng teed it up solo in the MJT Girls 11–12 division, finishing with a round of 88. Her modest take was, ‘I shot so-so,’ though her enthusiasm for MJT was clear when asked her favourite part: “Everything.”
 

1. James Plunkett (9), Guelph, ON | 92          

2. Eason Zhou (10), Toronto, ON | 94

3. Kit Martino (9), Brantford, ON | 102

Guelph’s nine-year-old James Plunkett secured his first MJT victory of the season, shooting 92 to finish two strokes clear of the field in the MJT Boys 9-10 division. “It feels good and I am excited because I won my first MJT tournament this year,” he shared. He also praised the experience: “Tournaments are well run. I like the organizers. Great prizes.”
 

1. Islay Oh (9), Toronto, ON | 88        

2. Harper Putt (9), Fisherville, ON |113

Toronto’s Islay Oh, age 9, added another podium finish to her resume with a winning score of 88 to take the MJT Girls 9-10 title. “Feels good to win this tournament. I tried my best,” she said, adding, “My favourite part about competing in this MJT tournament is it's really competitive and everything is challenging, which I like.”

MJT Boys 8U: Brookfield: Par 68, Ydg 3000, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Bentley Klompmaker (8), Bancroft, ON | 93           

2. Camden Robertson (8), Komoka, ON | 117

From Bancroft, ON, eight-year-old Bentley Klompmaker earned his MJT Boys 8U division title with a score of 93. His simple feelings about winning said it all: “Good,” and “Proud.” When asked his favourite part of the tournament, Bentley responded with just one word: “Winning.”

MJT Girls 8U: Brookfield: Par 68, Ydg 3000, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. June Cooper (7), Alvinston, ON |122          

2. Gemma Tsai (8), Thornhill, ON | 126          

3. Zoe Viastikopoulos (7), Thamesford, ON | 135

Seven-year-old June Cooper of Alvinston, ON, capped her 18 holes with a score of 122 in the MJT Girls 8U division. “I just wanted to hit the ball well,” she explained, while noting her favourite part was ‘that it's 18-holes.’

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