Babineau Closes With A 68 To Win Low Overall In MJT’s Bell Aliant Series At Royal Oaks
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2021-08-06
MONCTON, Manitoba — The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour continued with its Atlantic Canada schedule, hosting two events in Moncton, NB. Junior golfers aged 12U competed in four divisions at the single day MJT Mini Tour at Royal Oaks Golf and Estates, while junior golfers 19U competed in six divisions in a two-day Junior Tour event - the MJT Bell Aliant Series at Royal Oaks Golf and Estates.
Starting with the two-day event, 16-year-old Julien Babineau, of Dieppe, NB, won the MJT Juvenile Boys Division after firing scores of 71 and 68 (139) to capture both his division title and the low overall score of the competition. “I felt pretty good going into the tournament even thought I hadn’t played my best in my last couple events,” commented Babineau. “My ball striking was the best part of my game and helped me get the win.” Cameron Friars, 16, of Quispamsis, NB, shot 75 and 76 (151) to finish in second place.
The MJT Junior Boys Division saw another Quispamsis, NB, player fire a pair of 73s (146) to take home the title by six shots. Nicholas Ritchie, 18, made seven birdies through 36 holes of competition on his way to his first career MJT victory. “The best part of my game was my striking and iron play,” he said. “The wind made the course challenging and I was able to flight my irons to hit better approach shots.” Runner-up was Cole Pender, 18, also of Quispamsis, who carded 77 and 75 (152).
Truro, NS, golfer Zachary Gaudet, won the MJT Bantam Boys Division with scores of 78 and 74 (152). The 14-year-old golfer claimed his first 2021 MJT title and stated, “I felt pretty good about my game coming into the tournament. My putting was the best part of my game and I’m happy I got the win.” Chase Burgess, 14, of Petitcodiac, NB, finished the division in second place with scores of 76 and 79 (155).
Callie Taylor, 15, of Quispamsis, NB, recorded a pair of 79s (158) to take home the MJT Girls 15-19 title. Taylor, who was competing in her first ever MJT event, wasted no time picking up her first win. “My putting was definitely the most responsible for my win,” she commented. “I feel very proud to get the win on the MJT and see my improvement in a tournament.” Moncton, NB, local Mackenzie Deveau, 18, carded 80 and 87 (167) to finish second in the division.
In the MJT Peewee Boys Division, Carter Lavigne, 11, of Moncton, shot scores of 90 and 80 (170) to win the title. Lavigne, who dramatically improved his score on day two, also picked up the MJT Booster Juice BounceBack award as a result. “My short game and irons were very good on the second day,” commented Lavigne. “I knew I wanted to bounce back after my first round, and I feel amazing after getting the win and lowering my score by 10 shots.”
Neve Miller, 13, of Dieppe, NB, fired consistent rounds of 95 and 94 (189) to capture the MJT Girls U15 Division over Riley Partington, 13, of Fredericton, NB. “I felt like my putting saved a lot of strokes,” commented Miller. “I had been putting in more practice lately and paying closer attention to each shot and that paid off in this tournament.”
The MJT Booster Juice BounceBack awards for most improved score in round two over round one went to Riley Partington, Addison McClune, Carter Lavigne, Maddox Ramsay, Jacob LeBlanc, and Damien Cormier. Full results can be viewed online.
In the MJT Mini Tour event at Royal Oaks on July 27, the MJT Boys 11-12 winner was 11-year-old Isaac Brooks, of Riverview, NB. Brooks finished with a score of 80 narrowly winning the division title over runner-up 11-year-old Anthony Cormier, of Moncton, NB, (81).
10-year-old Liam Wheaton, of Memramcook, NB, recorded a score of 69 to win the MJT Boys 9-10 Division, his second consecutive MJT Atlantic Canada Mini Tour title.
The MJT Boys 8U title was won by eight-year-old Isaac Belliveau, of Dieppe, NB, who shot 100, while nine-year-old Zoe LeBlanc, also of Dieppe, came out to shoot 124 in the MJT Girls 9-10 Division. Full results can be viewed online.
The next MJT Junior Tour stop in the region is the MJT Humber College PGM Atlantic Championship at Fox Harb’r Resort in Wallace, NS, on August 16 and 17. The final stops on both the MJT 12U Mini and Junior Tour circuits will be at Kingswood Resort in Fredericton, NB, on August 30 to 31. Registration remains open and more details can be found online at www.maplejt.com.
About Bell Aliant
Bell Aliant provides customers in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island with innovative information, communication and technology services including voice, data, Internet, video and value-added business solutions such as data security and cloud computing services; including Fibe™ TV and Internet, Bell Satellite TV, and Home Phone.
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 90 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.