Canada represented in prestigious 51st Junior America’s Cup with MJT Teams British Columbia and Alberta
For Immediate Release: August 9, 2023
Venue: Red Hawk Resort, Reno, Nevada
Tournament Date: July 30 – August 4, 2023
Full Results: click here
Photo Gallery: click here
Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour, the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT), once again sent teams representing British Columbia and Alberta to the 51st playing of the prestigious Junior America’s Cup, this time hosted by the Red Hawk Resort in Reno, Nevada, USA, from July 30 through August 4, 2023.
Like a collegiate event, the Junior America’s Cup features 18 teams of four boys representing their state, province or country in a 54-hole competition over three days. Junior America’s Cup Alumni include famous names such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, Corey Pavin, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Ryan Moore, Andrew Putnam and Kyle Stanley.
The Canadians representing British Columbia were MJT members Eric Joo (Coquitlam), Joshua Ince (Surrey), Thomas Zhang (Vancouver) and Matthew Wilson (Nanaimo), captained by MJT National Operations Director, Trent Matson. Representing Alberta were Jaiden Koonar (Calgary), Christian Flick (Heritage Pointe), Charlie Gillespie (Calgary) and Tate Bruggeman (Edmonton), captained by MJT volunteer and Edge School’s Golf Director, Ryan Cater.
“This was again one of the best organized and high-profile events that we send players to,” said Matson. “It is steeped in tradition, respect and history. Our players are very lucky to be given a chance to compete at this event.”
“If you want to play D1 golf, you won’t get a better chance to be seen than at this event,” stated Cater, as over 20 top college coaches were in attendance from the Universities of Santa Clara, Wisconsin, Washington, Washington State, UNLV, Houston Christian, Utah Tech, UCLA, Seattle, Gonzaga and Colorado, to name a few.
There was a three-way tie for first place in the Team Competition as Southern California, Mexico Red, and San Diego all finished the week at 18-under par, three shots clear of fourth place. Team Alberta played great golf and finished at a three-way tie for sixth place with Nevada and Idaho. Christian Flick, 16, from Calgary, AB, was the Low Canadian at four-under-par (T15) followed by Tate Bruggeman, 16, of Edmonton, AB, who finished at three-under. Full results are on the JAC website.
The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour looks forward to qualifying players for the 2024 Junior America’s Cup, which will be held in Utah in late July. For more information on the MJT, please visit www.maplejt.com . For more information on the Junior America’s Cup, please visit www.junioramericascup.com .
About the Junior America’s Cup
The original JAC started as matches between the Mexican, Alberta and the Southern California Junior Golf Associations with each association hosting every three years. In 1972, a meeting was held at the Hogan Cup at Riverside Golf and Country Club in Portland, Ore. The meeting’s participants included Bob Norquist, Oregon; Lou Smith, San Diego; Walt McConalogue, Northern California; Bill Brandt, Southern California; Al Jones, Pacific Northwest GA and Fred Wellsby and Harry White, British Columbia. At the meeting the decision was made to expand the Junior America’s Cup to include the western states plus Canada and Mexico. Those participating were British Columbia, Alberta, Idaho, Mexico (with two teams), Nevada, Northern California, Oregon, San Diego, Southern California, Washington and Utah. See more here.
About the MJT
The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour is Canada’s number one-played 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 valued Premier, Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT hosts close to 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.
Note: The MJT maintains the legacy of the late Harry White with the annual MJT Harry White Little Masters, a major U13 event in Canada, at Kings Links by the Sea in Delta, BC.