Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 9, 2019
Vancouver, BC

Spectacular scoring from young stars highlight MJT Mini Tour at Musqueam

Vancouver, BC – (June 10, 2019) – A packed field of 66 young players aged 12 and under on the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour gathered at Musqueam Golf and Learning Academy in Vancouver last Sunday, June 9, competing in six age divisions plus the chance to qualify for the 2019 MJT Mini Tour National Championship. Blue skies and remarkable scoring highlighted the day for the juniors from BC and Washington State.

We begin with impressive scoring from Vancouver, BC-native, Anna Huang, 10, playing in an older age bracket of MJT Girls 11-12, who fired a 61 on Musqueam’s par 60 course to take a two-shot win over 12-year old, June Hsiao (63), of Coquitlam, BC. “I won because of my putting and chipping,” Huang said after taking only 27 putts for the tournaments. “Without my putting, I would not have been able to play as well as I did.” Finishing not far behind in third place was Golf Progress Hub-student, Cadence Ko, 12, of Richmond, BC, who shot 65.

The MJT Boys 11-12 title was captured by Vancouver, BC-player, Michael Li, 11, who fired a 64 to win by two shots over George Jiayu Zhou, 12, also of Vancouver. Li, who grabs his second MJT Mini Tour victory of 2019, got off to a hot start making two birdies in his first nine holes. “I was happy to make those birdies,” said Li after the round. “But I won because of my consistency, I didn’t make anything higher than a bogey.”

Selena Chen, 10, of Vancouver, took home the title in the MJT Girls 9-10 Division with a score of 83. Chen was a bit overwhelmed with her first win of the season, commenting, “I’m surprised that I won, but I’m also really happy.” Second place went to Kathleen Dunn, 8, from Surrey, BC, who was playing up in older age group and carded a round of 85.

Taking home his third consecutive 2019 MJT Boys 9-10 title was 10-year old, Alex Zhang, of Richmond, BC, who fired a round of 63 to win the division by six shots. “I made a 40-foot putt on the 16th hole for birdie and I knew after that that I was going to win my third MJT Mini Tour title,” said Zhang. Vancouver-resident Jasper Wang, 10, shot 69 on his way to a second place finish in the division.

Sky Park, from Surrey, picked up her second Mini Tour win in as many starts in the MJT Girls U8 Division with a round of 79. “I chipped in on the ninth hole which was really special,” commented Park while receiving her trophy. “I know I could have played better, but I feel good to win.”

No stranger to the leaderboard in the MJT Boys U8 Division was eight-year old Matthew Cui, of Burnaby, BC. “I had three birdies and my putting was the best part of my game,” exclaimed Cui after the around while expressing his pleasure with his performance. Eight-year old, Brayden Ko, of Richmond, and eight-year old, Tiger Zhao, of Vancouver, tied for second place in the division with a score of 71.

Full results including PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin competition winners are posted on the MJT website here. The next MJT Mini Tour stop in BC is on July 8 at Greenacres Golf Course in Richmond, BC. Registration for the event is online on the MJT website.

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 to 12 year olds, the Collegiate Tour for 19 to 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. For more information, see www.maplejt.com.