Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

 

On May 24, the Alberta Mini Tour on Canada’s number one-played junior golf tour, the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), teed off its season of full tournament registrations at Collicutt Siding Golf Club in Crossfield, where a talented field of nearly 50 young golfers aged 12U competed in the FCG Worlds Qualifier presented by EDGE School. 

Athletes battled across six divisions for custom medals and ZEAL Optics sunglasses, while also competing for qualifying spots into the FCG Callaway World Golf Championship in Palm Desert, California, and the MJT Mini Tour Nationals at Tsawwassen Springs Golf Course in British Columbia.

Calgary’s Wyatt Lazic, 12, delivered a steady even-par 72 to top the MJT Boys 11-12 division at Collicutt Siding Golf Club. Lazic’s round featured both a birdie and an eagle as he stayed composed down the stretch. “I was trying to stay focused and trying not to mess up because two bad shots can ruin the whole round,” he said, adding, “I like the course and I would come back.”
 

Eleven-year-old Mia He of Edmonton, AB, captured the MJT Girls 11-12 title with a score of 81. Embracing both the competition and camaraderie throughout the event, He said, “It feels amazing to win, although every other girl here deserves to win. The competition is fun and the competitors are even more fun.” She also gave the tournament glowing reviews, calling it ‘5 stars’ and adding she would ‘definitely hope to come back next year!’
 

One of the standout performances of the tournament came from nine-year-old Blake Widmer of Edmonton, AB, who fired a spectacular five-under-par 67 to claim the MJT Boys 9-10 division title. Widmer’s incredible round included five birdies and an eagle as he surged to record the lowest scores of the day. “It feels amazing to finally win this title,” he said. “I have been practicing for this moment for a long time.” He also complimented the setup at Collicutt Siding Golf Club, noting that ‘the course conditions were amazing.’
 

Ten-year-old Blake Nguyen of Calgary, AB, earned her first MJT victory in the MJT Girls 9-10 division after carding an 87 highlighted by two birdies. Nguyen was thrilled to break through for her first title, saying, “Feels really good, first time I've won first place in MJT!” She also gave high praise to the tour experience, calling MJT ‘definitely the best event in Canada.’
 

In the MJT Boys 8U division, Calgary’s Austin Sundquist, age eight, impressed with a round of 79 that featured three birdies and an eagle. Sundquist was proud of both his play and the result, saying, “I’m very happy with how I played and excited that I won.” Looking ahead, he added a confident ‘thumbs up’ to the event and said he looks forward to ‘coming back to defend my title.’
 

Competing in a division all her own, eight-year-old Jagger Nguyen of Calgary, AB, posted a score of 98 in the MJT Girls 8U division while showing tremendous positivity throughout the round. “It feels great, I am so happy to be out golfing,” said Nguyen, who encouraged others with the advice to ‘stay focused, stay positive, and don’t give up’ during the closing stretch. She also praised the tour atmosphere, stating, “MJT has the best events.”

 

Top finisher scores and the list of qualified players are noted below. Full results and winners of the Long Drive and Closest-to-the-Pin competitions are posted on the MJT website here.
 

The next MJT Mini Tour event in the province is the MJT Mini Tour Spring Series at Blue Devil Golf Club in Calgary on May 30. For more information, or to view the upcoming schedule, please visit www.maplejt.com.

Top Finishers by Division
 

MJT Boys 11-12: Collicutt Siding: Par 72, Ydg 5273, Slope/Rating 110/67.9

1. Wyatt Lazic (12), Calgary, AB | 72   

2. William Hadi (10), Calgary, AB | 77

3. Rylan Hryhirchuk (11), Irma, AB | 78

 

1. Mia He (11), Edmonton, AB | 81     

2. Christi Zhu (10), Calgary, AB | 85    

2. Morgan Tucnik (11), Calgary, AB | 85         

2. Audrey Ko (11), Calgary, AB | 85

MJT Boys 9-10: Collicutt Siding: Par 72, Ydg 3600, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Blake Widmer (9), Edmonton, AB | 67       

2. James Klein (10), Edmonton, AB | 68         

3. Jones Estabrooks (10), Leduc, AB | 68

MJT Girls 9-10: Collicutt Siding: Par 72, Ydg 3600, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Blake Nguyen (10), Calgary, AB | 87           

2. Joelle Ko (9). Calgary, AB | 99         

3. Cara McLeod (9), Calgary, AB | 108

 

1. Austin Sundquist (8), Calgary, AB | 79        

2. Milan Bhamra (8), Calgary, AB | 80

3. Samuel Cote (8), Whitecourt, AB | 99

MJT Girls 8U: Collicutt Siding: Par 72, Ydg 3600, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Jagger Nguyen (8), Calgary, AB | 98

 

Qualified Players* must meet scoring requirements
 

Boys: Austin Sundquist, Blake Widmer

Girls: Blake Nguyen

 

Boys: Austin Sundquist, Blake Widmer, Wyatt Lazic

Girls: Blake Nguyen, Mia He

 

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