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The Road to College Golf, run exclusively by PGA ProfessionalsPress Release
September 3-5, 2005
Horseshoe Resort • Barrie, ON
PLAYOFF SCOOPS LOW OVERALL FOR MCKENZIE IN ONTARIO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
BARRIE, ON –The third and final round of the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Ontario Tour Championship at Horseshoe Resort in Barrie concluded on the Labour Day weekend in fine conditions.
Mike McKenzie, 17, of Cambridge, scooped the low overall score for the tournament and Boys 17 & up division title after a playoff with Maple Leaf Team Canada member Kori Paquette, 18, of London.
McKenzie, (78-74-76), who plays out of Galt Country Club, and Paquette (76-74-78) tied with total scores of 228 after 54 holes, leading into a playoff which McKenzie won on the second hole by making a par on the difficult par 5 which had given players trouble all weekend.
“My goals are to win many more championships and go to a good school on a golf scholarship,” said McKenzie, who claimed the highlight of the tournament was when he holed out from 80 yards for eagle on the 10th hole.
Third place in the division went to Mark Bania, 18, of Kitchener, who shot 80-76-78 for a 234 total score.
Champion of the Boys 14-16 division was another Maple Leaf Team Canada member, Josh Bamberger of Waterloo, who fired 73-76-81 (230) to beat runner-up Luc Robinson, 14, of Toronto, by seven strokes. “It was a good way to finish off the season,” said 15-year-old Bamberger, a Foxwood Golf Club junior. “The MJT helps me because it gives me an opportunity to play at a competitive level with great competition each week.”
Robinson’s scores of 81-78-78 (237) edged third place finisher Nick Beaudoin, 16, of Burlington (83-82-74=239), by two strokes.
In the Boys 13 and under division, Mandarin Golf Club junior Gajan Sivabalasingham, 11, of Markham, played great golf to win the title over Brent McKenzie, 13, of Cambridge. “I had a birdie on the first hole twice,” said Sivabalasingham, who shot 80-76-81 for a 237 total. “It means a lot to me to win because it is the Ontario Tour Championship.”
McKenzie shot 79-79-81 (239) while third place went to Brandon Pearce, 13, of Cambridge (89-81-75=245).
The division winners in the Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition were Neil Khosla of Mississauga, Ben Deignan of Cambridge and Kori Paquette. The Sundog Eyewear Closest-to-the-Pin Competition division winners were Dylan Smallwood of Cambridge, Nick Beaudoin and Mark Bania.
Some of the country’s top juniors have taken part in the MJT, such as Inah Park, the reigning Canadian junior girls’ champion, and Darren Wallace, the Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion. Seven out of the Top 10 RCGA nationally-ranked juniors in 2004 have played on the Tour, which is presented by Boston Pizza nationally and endorsed by PGA Tour veterans Dave Barr and Ray Stewart.
The invitation-only MJT Boston Pizza National Tour Championship wraps the regular season on September 10-11 at The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course in Banff, Alberta. This 7th annual tournament will feature 56 of Canada's top junior golfers as determined by MJT Callaway Golf Order of Merit rankings in four age divisions. The following MJT members from Ontario have confirmed their attendance at this prestigious competition:
• Eric Velanoff, Heidelberg, ON (Westmount G&CC)
• Braeden Cryderman, Huntsville, ON (Deerhurst Resort)
• Mike McDonald Harrow, ON (Kingsville G&CC)
• Mark Bania, Kitchener, ON (Galt G&CC)
• Kyle Demeester, Langton, ON (Delhi G&CC)
• Neil Khosla, Mississauga, ON (Rattlesnake Point GC)
• Nick Beaudoin, Burlington, ON (Trafalger G&CC)
For more information about the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, please call
1-877-859-GOLF or visit the Tour’s website at www.maplejt.com.
Contact:
Elaine Denton, Marketing & PR
Tel: 1-877-943-1645
Email: edenton@maplejt.com