Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

August 25-26, 2019
Winnipeg, MB

MJT Bieber Classic champions crowned at Breezy Bend

Winnipeg, MB - (August 27, 2019) – The MJT Bieber Classic-PGA of Manitoba Junior Championship at Breezy Bend Country Club in Winnipeg, held August 25 and 26, marked the final Manitoban stop on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour for the 2019 season. This tournament, which has been sponsored by the Bieber Family for an incredible 17 years, was also the last opportunity for the young golfers to gain valuable MJT Order of Merit points and earn a spot into the MJT Boston Pizza National Championship presented by TaylorMade and adidas golf at Reunion Resort in November.

Weather delays affected both rounds in the tournament, with just two out of the six divisions able to finish all 36 holes of play. The MJT Juvenile Boys Division was one, and witnessed a close finish between Winnipeggers Jordon McDonald, 16, and Braxton Kuntz, 15. McDonald completed the comeback after being down three shots after the first round, making eight birdies total in the pouring rain to pick up his third MJT win of 2019 with fine scores of 72, 73 (145).  “My driver and my wedges were the best part of my game,” mentioned McDonald, who now leads the MJT Manitoba Juvenile Boys Order of Merit Points race.  “They allowed me to score well.” Coming second just one stroke back and finishing third in the Manitoba Order of Merit was Braxton Kuntz, 15, of Winnipeg. Kuntz, who finished the year with the lowest Juvenile Boys scoring average at 74.25, started this tournament with a 69 and followed that up with a 77 (146).

The other division to complete all 36 holes of the tournament was the MJT Junior Boys, where Neel Soni of Winnipeg carded scores of 76 and 71 to erase a two-shot deficit after the first round and win the Hoselton trophy. The 17-year-old player, who has not finished worse than second place in any MJT event this year, picked up his second win of the season to lead the MJT Junior Boys Order of Merit in Manitoba. “The final few holes at Breezy Bend can get you if you’re not sharp,” he commented, adding, “It is always a great pleasure to play in the MJT events.”  Lachlan Allerton, 17, of Winnipeg, fired rounds of 74 and 78 to take home second place in the event as well as on the Order of Merit.

Jack Taylor, 14, of Winnipeg, completed a remarkable comeback in the MJT Bantam Boys Division to win the Hoselton trophy. Taylor, who carded a nine-hole score of 40 on the first day, was down five shots to second-place finisher, Hayden Chaloner, but shot a 77 (117) on day two to win by a single shot. Taylor, who was sitting a couple hundred points behind first in the MJT Manitoba Bantam Boys Order of Merit standings, shot up the leaderboard to finish at the very top. “I was a bit nervous coming down the stretch,” he commented. “I know how close the competition was, but I managed to pull through.” Chaloner, 14, of Winnipeg, completed the tournament with a 27-hole score of 118.

Winnipeg’s Terence Rafferty, 12, carded a nine-hole score of 37 on the first day and followed that up with a 74 to capture the MJT Peewee Boys title. With the second day score, Rafferty improved his overall season scoring average to a Peewee Boys-best 82.00. “I felt pretty confident at the end because I had been playing well all day,” he said. “I knew I was going to finish strong.” Rafferty’s win at Breezy Bend Country Club also bumped his Peewee Boys Order of Merit standing to second place. Leading the Order of Merit title by coming in second place at this tournament was Brandon, MB-golfer, Spence Mott, 12, who shot 36 on the first day and 80 on the second.

MJT veteran champion, Mikyla Albert, of Selkirk, MB, fired a 39 on the first day and a 78 on the second day for a total of 117 to cap off an exceptional season on the MJT. The 17-year-old golfer, who plays out of Inwood Golf and Country Club, took home a lot of titles, winning the MJT Girls 15-18 Division over Sarah Farmer, 16, of Winnipeg, the Low Overall Girls score, and her division’s Order of Merit title. “The MJT always puts on great events and I love playing in them,” she commented. “I want to thank the MJT for doing a great job.”

The MJT Girls U15 title went to 13-year-old, Crystal Zamzow, of Swan River, MB. Zamzow acquired her second consecutive victory with scores of 42 and 84 (126) and also won the Girls U15 Order of Merit in the province. “My driving was pretty good this week,” she said. “I kept the ball in play off the tee and that helped my rounds.” Addison Kartusch, 12, of Winnipeg, carded scores of 50 and 88 (138) to finish second in the tournament and bump up to a third-place finish in the Order of Merit standings.

The MJT wishes to thank the Bieber Family for their generous support of junior golf in Manitoba via long-term sponsorship of this successful event. PLYR Long Drive and PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin results are on the highlights page for the tournament here, and exemptions to the National Championship in Florida will be announced shortly. Early Bird Memberships for the 2020 season on Canada’s number-one played junior golf tour become available in December.

About the MJT: The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour presented by Boston Pizza 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 presented nationally by Boston Pizza and supported by valued Premier, Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT hosts close to 80 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for 7-12 year olds, the Collegiate Tour for 19-23 year olds, and multi-day events for competitive players aged 11 to 18 which are also qualifiers for international competitions. The program offers annual awards, scholarships, and frequent player incentives to help reward player's 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 provincial, national, university and professional level. See www.maplejt.com.