Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

 

The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), Canada's #1 junior golf tour, welcomed 40 talented golfers aged 12 and under to Moon Lake Golf and Country Club in Saskatoon, SK, on July 26, where stunning summer weather provided the perfect backdrop for another exciting day of competition on the Mini Tour.
 

Impressive performances were turned in across five divisions as players battled for titles, custom MJT medals, ZEAL Optics sunglasses, and the final Saskatchewan qualifying spots into next month's MJT Mini Tour Nationals at Tsawwassen Springs, BC.

Eleven-year-old Daxton Barnhardt of Regina, SK, edged a tightly contested MJT Boys 11-12 division by a single stroke after carding a 76. Barnhardt's winning round featured an impressive two eagles and two birdies, and he credited an early boost in confidence, saying, "When I birdied the first hole it gave me confidence for the rest of the round." Reflecting on the tournament, he added, "It was a 10/10. It was great and I had lots of fun!"

 

Lila Skeates (12) of Calgary, AB, topped the MJT Girls 11-12 division with a round of 87. Her game plan was simple: "Keep it on the fairway all the way." Following the round, Skeates praised both the venue and tournament experience, saying, "The course was great and the event was very fun. The course was very walkable."

 

Regina's Jerry King Zhao, 10, produced an outstanding even-par 72 to capture the MJT Boys 9-10 title, highlighted by eight birdies over 18 holes. Zhao credited ‘a lot of strong pars in front nine that I saved from like 4-5 yards,’ before pointing to his defining moment: "The one 12-yard putt on Moon's hole 18 and all the par saves. If I didn't have par saves, I would have shot like 79."

 

Canora, SK's Mae McTavish, 10, delivered the round of the tournament, firing a three-under-par 69, the only under-par score of the day, to win the MJT Girls 9-10 division. McTavish carded eight birdies and an eagle, crediting a straightforward approach: "Just have fun, try to hit it straight, and eliminate 3 putts." Asked about the event, her review was equally emphatic: "10/10 obviously."

 

Eight-year-old Aleksander Sierzycki of Prince Albert, SK, earned top honours in the MJT Boys 8U division with a score of 87. His strategy throughout the round was to ‘stay calm,’ and he had high praise for the tournament afterward, saying, "10/10, 5 stars! Keep up doing what you are doing."

Top finisher scores and the list of qualified players are noted below. Full results, as well as winners of the Closed-to-the-Pin competition are posted on the MJT website here.
 

The next and final MJT Mini Tour event in the province is the MJT Mini Tour at Wildwood Golf Course, in Saskatoon, on August 28. For more information, or to view the upcoming Saskatchewan MJT Mini Tour schedule, please visit www.maplejt.com.

Top Finishers by Division
 

MJT Boys 11-12: Moon Lake: Par 72, Ydg 5000, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Daxton Barnhardt (11), Regina, SK | 76      

2. Declan Kozakavich (12), Saskatoon, SK | 77           

3. Jace Kay (11), Canwood, SK | 78     

3. Asher Wilson (11), Saskatoon, SK | 78

 

1. Lila Skeates (12), Calgary, AB | 87   

2. Alicia Dobchuk (11), Calgary, AB | 90         

3. Kensi Bourassa (12), Saskatoon, SK | 91

MJT Boys 9-10: Moon Lake: Par 72, Ydg 4500, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Jerry King Zhao (10), Regina, SK | 72          

2. Jozef Sierzycki (10), Prince Albert, SK | 78  

3. Grady Robillard (10), Saskatoon, SK | 79

MJT Girls 9-10: Moon Lake: Par 72, Ydg 4500, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Mae McTavish (10), Canora, SK | 69           

2. Lila Arnold (10), Lloydminster, SK | 103      

3. Aria Shoffner (8), St Denis, SK | 109

MJT Boys 8U: Moon Lake: Par 72, Ydg 3000, Slope/Rating 0/0.0

1. Aleksander Sierzycki (8), Prince Albert, SK | 87      

2. Levi Raycroft (8), Humboldt, SK | 103         

3. James Neufeld (8), Wymark, SK | 107

 

Qualified Players

MJT Mini Tour Nationals (those who have not previously qualified)
Boys: Jack Unrau, Daxton Barnhardt

Girls: Alicia Dobchuk 

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