Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

 

Over the June 1-2 weekend, 90 juniors on the British Columbia circuit of Canada’s #1 Junior Tour, the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, came out to compete in tough weather, fighting windy and wet conditions in the MJT Zeal Series tournament held at The Hills at Portal Golf Club in Surrey. The second day’s weather became too much with the golf course becoming unplayable, forcing three out of the six divisions to shorten their round to 14 holes. A huge highlight on day one was seeing Nancy Liu, 16, of Surrey, BC, make a Hole-In-One on the third hole from 156 yards, capping off a great day where she finished tied for the lead in MJT Girls 15-19 with one round to play.  

 

The eventual MJT Girls 15-19 winner was 17-year-old Diya Brar from Lake Tapps, WA, who fired steady scores of 77, 57*=134 for 32 holes. The other high performing division winners were Anthony Whiting, 16, of North Vancouver, BC, who shot 73, 60* over 32 holes to win the MJT Juvenile Boys division title, Adrian Roberts, 16, of Rossland, BC, in MJT Junior Boys (75-59*), Tiger Yuanjun Liu, 13, of Surrey, BC, in MJT Bantam Boys (73-73), Jackson Wang, 12, of Surrey, in MJT Peewee Boys (70-75), and Jenny Guo, 12, of West Vancouver, BC, in MJT Girls U15 (84-71). 

 

Both Brar and Whiting are now short-listed for the MJT National Team Challenge presented by Canada Life at Sawmill Golf Club in Ontario this September.  Whiting and Roberts are short-listed for MJT Team Canada to the Jack Newton International Junior Classic in New South Wales, Australia, this October.

 

Full Results from this two-day tournament, where each division winner was rewarded with a stylish pair of Zeal sunglasses, are posted on the MJT website here. Results from the London Drugs Long Drive, PLYR Closest to the Pin, Booster Juice BounceBack Awards, and Academy Points standings are posted here. Top finisher scores and quotes from the division winners are noted below, along with the list of qualified players.

 

The MJT’s next stops in the province are in the beautiful interior and feature the MJT Ford Series at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops on July 15-16, the MJT BC Order of Merit Series at Okanagan GC in Kelowna on July 18-19, and the MJT Western Championship presented by adidas at Copper Point GC in Invermere on July 23-24.  For more information, please visit the MJT website at www.maplejt.com.

 

MJT U15 Girls: The Hills at Portal: Par 72, Ydg 5467, Slope/Rating 125/72.0

1 Jenny Guo, West Vancouver, BC, F, 12                                            84-71 (155)

2 Yunhan Liu, Surrey, BC, F, 14                                                           76-80 (156)

3 Grace Fan, Vancouver, BC, F, 13                                                      80-88 (168)

 

Jenny Guo, 12, of West Vancouver, BC, shot a fantastic final round 71 (one-under par) to come from behind and claim the MJT Girls U15 Division title.  This win was Guo’s second victory of the season.

 

1 Diya Brar, Lake Tapps, WA, F, 17                                                     77-57 (134)

2 Zhehui (Hui) Yu, Burnaby, BC, F, 16                                                 80-57 (137)

3 Nancy Liu, Surrey, BC, F, 16                                                             77-63 (140)

 

Winning in her first MJT event was 17-year-old Diya Brar of Lake Tapps, Washington, USA, who grinded it out in the tough conditions for a three-stroke victory in MJT Girls 15-19. When asked about her win, Brar said, “I feel very excited especially with the heavy rain the last day.  I was happy with my game; it was very consistent.”

 

1 Jackson Wang, Surrey, BC, M, 12                                                     70-75 (145)

2 Jason Zhang, Richmond, BC, M, 12                                                  74-73 (147)

3 Jack Guo, West Vancouver, BC, M, 12                                             73-79 (152)

 

MJT veteran Jackson Wang, 12, of Surrey, BC, played stellar golf and finished the week at one-over par in brutal conditions to win the MJT Peewee Boys Division title.  This win was Wang’s sixth of the early season playing on both the MJT Mini Tour and Junior Tour.  

 

1 Tiger Yuanjun Liu, Surrey, BC, M, 13                                                73-73 (146)

2 Luca Marengo, Calgary, AB, M, 14                                                   75-72 (147)

3 Jack Jin, Port Moody, BC, M, 14                                                       75-75 (150)

 

Tiger Yuanjun Liu, 13, of Surrey, BC, picked up his third win by edging out his nearest competitor with a birdie on the second last hole, earning the MJT Bantam Boys Division title.  “It was amazing!” said Liu.  “I overcame a tough and rainy round two and made a clutch birdie on the 17^th to gain a one shot lead going into the final hole.  I hit three good shots and two good putts to win.”

 

1 Anthony Whiting, North Vancouver, BC, M, 16                               73-60 (133)

2 Anson Zhao, Victoria, BC, M, 16                                                       75-60 (135)

3 Ryan LePrieur, Langley, BC, M, 15                                                   70-66 (136)

3 Yuda Nam, Coquitlam, BC, ,16                                                         79-57 (136)

 

Winning for the second time to date this season was 16-year old Anthony Whiting of North Vancouver after he posted strong scores in challenging weather to win the MJT Juvenile Division title.   “I was very proud of my win today,” said Whiting.  “It feels great to get my second win of the season.  I would like to thank the MJT and Bryn Parry (coach).”

 

1 Adrian Roberts, Rossland, BC, M, 16                                                75-59 (134)

2 Ryan Douet, Port Moody, BC, M, 17                                                76-60 (136) 

3 Harley Liu, Burnaby, BC, M, 17                                                        77-63 (140)

 

Adrian Roberts, 16, of Rossland, BC, claimed victory in MJT Juvenile Boys with a two-shot winning margin in the downpour.  “I am very happy that I won the tournament and held off my opponents in the rain,” stated Roberts.

 

MJT National Team Challenge presented by Canada Life at Sawmill GC: Anthony Whiting and Diya Brar (Short-listed positions)

MJT Team Canada to Australia (Jack Newton International Junior Classic):  Anthony Whiting and Adrian Roberts (Short-listed positions)

About ZEAL Optics: At ZEAL Optics, we build the highest quality eyewear for people like us who live for outdoor adventure. But that is just the beginning of our adventure. We focus on more than just being an eyewear company. We are guided by a simple set of beliefs: Use Less, Give Back, Explore More. Learn more here.

 

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