Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

 

The picturesque Fraser Valley setting of Cheam Mountain Golf Course in Chilliwack, BC, played host to another exciting day of Mini Tour competition on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), Canada's #1 junior golf tour, on August 1, when a field of talented golfers aged 12 and under competed in six divisions for custom MJT medals, ZEAL Optics sunglasses, and qualifying spots into this month's MJT Mini Tour Nationals at Tsawwassen Springs, BC.

Twelve-year-old Gavin Ziyuan Wang of Richmond, BC, carded an outstanding 62 to capture the MJT Boys 11-12 division by two strokes over a three-way tie for second. Wang kept his approach simple throughout the round, saying it was to ‘just try my best and the outcome won’t matter.’ He also praised the tournament experience, adding, "This event is amazing, I would recommend it."

 

Vancouver's Serena Zhu, 12, posted a 70 to top the MJT Girls 11-12 division, finishing three strokes ahead of a tie for second place. Zhu focused on staying present throughout the day, explaining her plan was ‘to just hit one stroke at a time and always think about the next shot.’ She added, "I just stayed steady the entire time and tried to do my best."

 

Jason Zhang, 10, of Vancouver, BC, ran away with his first MJT Mini Tour victory of the season with a solid score of 69 in the Boys 9-10 division, bouncing back after a runner-up finish in his tournament previous start.
 

Ten-year-old Annabel Zhao of Richmond, BC, continued her fine play on the MJT and earned top honours in the Girls 9-10 division by two strokes after firing a 63. Her favourite moment came when ‘I made a putt from 15 feet,’ and she summed up the event with a perfect ‘10/10.’

 

Burnaby's Gavin Shi, 8, led the MJT Boys 8U division with an excellent score of 60. Shi credited his short game, saying, "The strongest part of my game was my chipping," while noting his strategy was to ‘hit my irons straight.’

 

Eight-year-old Nyla Poirier of Surrey, BC, completed her round in the MJT Girls 8U division with a score of 77. She pointed to ‘my final hole’ as the standout moment of her round and spoke highly of the MJT experience, saying, "Very good. Helps me become a better player."

 

Top finisher scores and the list of players who have not already qualified for Nationals are noted below. Full results, as well as winners of the Closest-to-the-Pin and Long Drive competitions, are posted on the MJT website here.
 

The next MJT Mini Tour event in the province is at Burnaby Mountain Golf Club in Burnaby on August 17. For more information, please visit www.maplejt.com.

Top Finishers by Division
 

MJT Boys 11-12: Cheam Mountain: Par 56, Ydg 2515, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Gavin Ziyuan Wang (12), Richmond, BC | 62          

2. Lucas Huang (11), Vancouver, BC | 64        

2. Ethan Shi (11), Burnaby, BC | 64     

2. Luca Glasner (11), Vancouver, BC | 64

 

1. Serena Zhu (12), Vancouver, BC | 70          

2. May Tian (12), Vancouver, BC | 73

2. Qitong Wu (11), Vancouver, BC | 73

MJT Boys 9-10: Cheam Mountains: Par 56, Ydg 2515, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Jason Zhang (10), Vancouver, BC | 69        

2. William Stauffer-Johnston (9), Kamloops, BC | 87  

3. Ethan Kim (10), Vancouver, BC | 89         

MJT Girls 9-10: Cheam Mountain: Par 56, Ydg 2515, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Annabel Zhao (10), Richmond, BC | 63       

2. Bella Yuan (10), Vancouver, BC | 65           

3. Ruby Chen (10), Surrey, BC | 67

 

1. Gavin Shi (8), Burnaby, BC | 60       

2. Seven Qi (8), West Vancouver, BC | 68      

3. Alec Shao (7), Abbotsford, BC | 69

3. Caden Zhai (7), White Rock, BC | 69

MJT Girls 8U: Cheam Mountain: Par 56, Ydg 2515, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Nyla Poirier (8), Surrey, BC | 77

 

 

Boys: Seven Qi, Jason Zhang, Luca Glasner

Girls: Serena Zhu

 

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