Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

 

A waitlisted field of 112 junior athletes from Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan teed it up in Red Deer County, AB, on Canada’s leading junior golf tour, the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), this past weekend, continued the record-breaking 2026 season with the MJT Junior Worlds Qualifier presented by Edge School at River Bend Golf Course. Impressive scores were recorded during the two-day tournament on May 9–10, showcasing the depth and talent of MJT players.
 

With six division titles on the line, players were also competing for direct and shortlisted qualifying spots into four major events: the MJT East Coast Junior Championship, Junior America’s Cup (Team Alberta), MJT National Tour Challenge, and the Uswing Mojing Junior World Golf Championship. The stakes were sky-high—and the performances rose to meet them.

With a home turf advantage, Red Deer’s Casey Sliva (18) fired back-to-back rounds of 69 (138) to win the MJT Junior Boys title by two strokes against a deep field. His steady play included five birdies and an eagle over 36 holes. “Feels nice to win on home soil,” he said, adding, “I feel I always have the most fun here.”

Sherwood Park’s Lexi Blair, 16, shot 75 and 71 (146) for a three-stroke victory in the MJT Girls 15–19 division, boosted by seven birdies across the weekend. “It feels relieving to know my hard work is paying off,” she shared, adding simply, ‘everything was great, thank you.’

A fantastic final round of 67 propelled Calgary’s Luke MacDonald (16) to top of the MJT Juvenile Boys podium, where he finished with a 6-under-par total of 138 (71-67). His 67, paired with seven birdies and an eagle over the weekend, proved decisive. “It feels great to get my first win on the MJT. Having a great second day and handling the pressure well (were key).” He commented further, ‘event staff were great for any questions and problems. Great event.’

Edmonton’s Danika Horcica (14) won the MJT Girls U15 division title by four strokes with rounds of 74 and 77 (151), tallying eight birdies in total. “It feels very good to get my first win as I have had a rough start to my tournament season, and this boosts my confidence,” she said, adding, “MJT is always a great event to come play. It is fun to play new courses and meet new people.”

One of the standout performances of the tournament came from 14-year-old Erik Petersen of Okotoks, who blazed his way around the course, firing rounds of 69 and 68 (137) to win the MJT Bantam Boys title. With 11 birdies over 36 holes, Petersen noted, “it always feels good to win, but it’s also fun to be shooting some good scores.” He added, “The weather was great and the course was too.”

Calgary’s Kolton Phillips, 12, secured a narrow victory in the MJT Peewee Boys division after shooting 75 and 74 (149), edging the field by a single stroke. His weekend included four birdies and an eagle. “It was very fun and I had a good time,” he said. “It feels pretty good to win because Sutton (Ulmer) and I were back-to-back.”

 

Top finisher scores and the list of qualified players are noted below. Results from the Bomber Long Drive, PLYR Closest to the Pin, Booster Juice BounceBack Awards and Academy Points can be found here.  

 

Next up in Alberta is the highly anticipated, waitlisted MJT adidas Golf Series at Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course, taking place May 17-18 in Banff. For more information on the MJT and upcoming events, visit www.maplejt.com.

Top Finishers by Division
 

1. Casey Sliva (18), Red Deer, AB | 69, 69 (138)

2. Harrison Kiziak (17), Fort Saskatchewan, AB | 71, 69 (140)            

3. Everett Braithwaite (17), Edmonton, AB | 70, 71 (141)
 

1. Lexi Blair (16), Sherwood Park, AB | 75, 71 (146)   

2. Raylee Denton (16), Red Deer, AB | 74, 75 (149)   

3. Charlotte Mix (17), Calgary, AB | 75, 81 (156)
 

1. Luke MacDonald (16), Calgary, AB | 71, 67 (138)

2. Bennett Love (15), Red Deer, AB | 71, 70 (141)     

3.Jeevin Dhaliwal (16), Calgary, AB | 74, 72 (146)      

3. Jay Kary (15), Wetaskiwin, AB | 73, 73 (146)
 

1. Danika Horcica (14), Edmonton, AB | 74, 77 (151)

2. Camilla Ruesga (14), Calgary, AB | 77, 78 (155)

3. Rachel Adamis (13), Edmonton, AB | 81, 83 (164)
 

1. Erik Petersen (14), Okotoks, AB | 69, 68 (137)

2. Edwin Park (13), Bentley, AB | 78, 73 (151)            

3. Judah Hornstein (13), Calgary, AB | 77, 76 (153)

MJT Peewee Boys: River Bend GC: Par 72, Ydg 4944, Slope/Rating 119/68.2

1. Kolton Phillips (12), Calgary, AB | 75, 74 (149)       

2. Sutton Ulmer (12), Calgary, AB | 74, 76 (150)        

3. Rylan Hryhirchuk (11), Irma, AB | 79, 76 (155)

Qualified and Shortlisted Players:

About Edge School: Edge School is a unique learning community for children in Grades 4-12 to pursue academic excellence while striving to reach their full athletic potential. We accommodate the training requirements of a wide range of sports and disciplines and offer high-performance training in basketball, dance, figure skating, fitness, golf, hockey, and soccer. Edge also offers a training environment for student-athletes in sports (luge, equestrian, skiing, swimming, tennis, etc.) that require a flexible schedule to meet their needs. For more information, visit edgeschool.com.

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