Two Playoffs In Packed Field At MJT Mini Tour At Musqueam

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour hosted the MJT Mini Tour Summer Series at Musqueam Golf Club in Vancouver, BC, where there were two playoffs needed out of the six divisions in the full field of players ages seven to 12.

The MJT Boys 11-12 Division needed an extra playoff hole to determine a winner after two players, Ryan LePrieur, 12, of Langley, BC, and Curtis Liu, 12, of Richmond, BC, tied at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 67. Liu drained a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole for birdie to earn his first-ever MJT title. “I felt happy just to get the chance to play in the tournament,” commented Liu. “I played as well as possible and I’m really excited to get the win in a playoff.”

The MJT Girls 9-10 Division also saw a tie at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 72 between Satnam Gill, 10, of Surrey, BC, and Grace Guan, 10, of Vancouver, BC. After making par on the 18th hole of the tournament to force the playoff, Guan emerged victorious for her first ever MJT Mini Tour win.

A low score in the competition came in the MJT Boys 9-10 Division where MJT Mini Tour veteran Tiger Zhao, 10, of Vancouver, fired a score of 62 to win by three shots. “My irons were a great part of my game,” commented Zhao. “All the practice I had put into my game came out and I was able to get the win.” Ten-year-old Ivan Chen, of Vancouver, BC, shot 65 to take home second place.

The MJT Girls 11-12 Division saw a tight race to the very end with only two shots separating the top three players. Coming out on top with a score of 63 was 11-year-old Cici Liang, of Vancouver, BC. “My putting was the best part of my game,” she stated. “I had no three-putts during my round.” Vancouver, BC, golfer Alice Zhang, 11, carded 64 to finish runner-up in the division.

In the MJT Boys 8U Division, Port Moody, BC, golfer Ray Chen, won the title with a score of 69. The eight-year-old golfer commented on his round, saying, “I felt that I could win the tournament before it started and I am very happy to get the win after I finished playing.” Seven-year-old Jonas Maryniuk, of Abbotsford, BC, shot 71 to finish in second place.

The MJT Girls 8U Division saw seven-year-old Lucy Li, of Vancouver, BC, secure a two-shot victory with a score of 70. “I was a little nervous before I started because I didn’t want to play badly,” said Lu. “After winning, I felt super proud of myself because I had practiced a lot before.” Seven-year-old Laura Zhao, of Vancouver, was runner-up (72).

The MJT Mini Tour in BC next hosts 100 young golfers in the 55th annual MJT Harry White Little Masters at Kings Links by the Sea in Delta, August 9 and 10. More details can be found online at www.maplejt.com.


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.