NEWS RELEASE
MAPLE LEAF JUNIOR GOLF TOUR
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Canada’s No. 1-played junior golf tour, the non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, made a stop last weekend in Thornton for the MJT Ontario Series at Tangle Creek Golf Club, where players were competing for titles in six divisions, plus the chance to be shortlisted to represent Canada in the ‘largest junior event in the Southern Hemisphere’ — the Jack Newton International Junior Classic in New South Wales, Australia.
The course held up well and play completed despite a difficult weekend of weather with rain throughout Round 1. On Day 2, it was sunnier but windy, which caused havoc on the tricky Tangle Creek track. Top finisher results with winner quotes are highlighted below, while results from the TaylorMade Long Drive, PLYR Closest to the Pin, Booster Juice BounceBack Awards and Academy Points can be found on the MJT website.
Ethan Frost, 16, of Barrie, made birdie on the 36th hole to tie Spencer Shropshire, 15, of Ramara, in the MJT juvenile boys division for the low overall boys score, and then sunk another birdie on the third playoff hole to win outright. Low overall honours among the girls went to Alexis Card, 12, of Cambridge, who played solid golf under the conditions and won her third MJT girls U15 title of the season. Both Card and Frost are now shortlisted for MJT Team Canada to the JNJG International Junior Classic in Australia this September.
There are openings in the upcoming MJT Ontario Series at Sawmill Golf Club in Fenwick July 22 to 23, which is a qualifier for the MJT National Team Challenge presented by Canada Life in Niagara Falls this September. Register here.
For further information on Canada’s No. 1-played junior golf tour, please visit the website at www.maplejt.com.
Top finishers
MJT girls U15: Par 72, yardage 5242, slope/rating 129/71.1
- Alexis Card, Cambridge, 12, 75-77 (152)
- Evelyn Ma, Markham, 12, 75-88 (163)
- Gracie Vescan, Mississauga, 13, 88-90 (178)
Alexis Card, 12, of Cambridge, won her third event of the season and the MJT girls U15 division title this week at Tangle Creek Golf Club.
“It feels great to win and know that all the hard work is paying off,” said Card. “I tried to focus on my game and the next shot I had to hit and not get ahead of myself.”
MJT girls 15-19: Par 72, yardage 5242, slope/rating 129/71.1
- Astoria Yen, Toronto, 17, 78-77 (155)
- Mikayla Lacey, Port Colborne, 16, 75-85 (160)
- Ela Jones, Kincardine, 18, 81-85 (166)
Astoria Yen, 17, of Toronto, was steady throughout the entire weekend, coming from behind to win the MJT girls 15-19 division title.
“This win feels amazing,” said Yen. “This is my first season win and I am very excited. I hit the fairways and tried to make two putts.”
MJT peewee boys: Par 72, yardage 5242, slope/rating 119/66.3
- Nathan Dai, North York, 12, 73-83 (156)
- Bryce Burridge, London, 12, 77-83 (160)
- Liam Ampil, Brampton, 12, 80-85 (165)
Nathan Dai, 12, of North York, held on after an amazing first round to win the MJT peewee boys division title.
“It feels good, not great after a tough second round, but we did play a very challenging course,” said Dai. “Coming down the stretch, I just wanted to focus on my own game.”
MJT bantam boys: Par 72, yardage 5812, slope/rating 126/68.3
- Joseph Totino, Toronto, 13, 70-74 (144)
- David Kowalewski, Barrie, 14, 79-73 (152)
- John Yang, North York, 13, 75-79 (154)
4. Callum McDonald, Mount Forest, 13, 73-81 (154)
Joseph Totino, 13, of Toronto, was the only player to break par on the difficult first day and played conservative on Day 2 to finish at even par for the weekend, winning the MJT bantam boys division title in style.
“It feels good to win this,” stated Totino. “I played good on the first day, and thinking safe or go for the pin if it was open.”
MJT juvenile boys: Par 72, yardage 6611, slope/rating 136/73.0
- Ethan Frost, Barrie, 16, 72-75 (147) — won playoff
1. Spencer Shropshire, Ramara, 15, 73-74 (147)
3. Adley Abols, Toronto, 16, 76-79 (155)
An exciting fishing in the MJT juvenile boys division saw Ethan Frost, 16, of Barrie, make birdie on the final hole to force a playoff with 15-year-old Spencer Shropshire of Ramara. In the playoff, Frost made a birdie on the third hole to clinch the MJT juvenile boys title and low overall.
“This feels amazing to win at my home course,” said Frost. “This weekend I have been telling myself for a while now that I would love to win here.”
MJT junior boys: Par 72, yardage 6611, slope/rating 136/73.0
- Ben De Castro, Toronto, 16, 74-86 (160)
- Johnathon Coffey, Owen Sound, 18, 84-78 (162)
- Suyog Surana, Oakville, 16, 82-82 (164)
Ben De Castro, 16, of Toronto, managed to hold off all competitors to win the MJT junior division title by two shots.
“This feels great knowing I didn’t have my best stuff at all,” said De Castro. “Coming down the stretch all I wanted to do was play conservative to ensure a win.”
Qualified players
Shortlisted positions to represent Canada in the JNJG International Junior Classic in New South Wales, Australia: Alexis Card (Cambridge) and Ethan Frost (Barrie).
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