Six National Champions Crowned In MJT’s Successful Season-Ending Finale Presented By TaylorMade & adidas Golf
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2021-10-14
SURREY, British Columbia — For the second year in a row, Canada’s number-one played Junior Golf Tour, the non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, held its prestigious MJT National Championship presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf in Canada as opposed to the United States. Top juniors across Canada qualified for this tournament via their top finishes in MJT regional schedules and came together for four days of golf at the fantastic Morgan Creek Golf Club in Surrey, BC.
The four days included a practice round on the immaculately groomed Morgan Creek Golf Course, followed by three rounds of competition in six divisions. Players battled rainy and windy conditions on the first day, however sunny skies and soft conditions allowed for great scoring on days two and three of the competition.
A brilliant performance awarded the MJT Juvenile Boys National Championship and Low Overall score to 15-year-old Ryan Vest, of Vernon, BC. Vest, who qualified for this tournament after a runner-up finish last year, fired outstanding scores of 72, 69, and 66 (207), making a big jump ahead on the last day by going five-under-par in his opening nine holes. “I started off pretty good on the third day making birdie on three of my first four holes,” commented Vest, who carded one eagle and 13 birdies over 54 holes. “I was happy with the way I played overall and I’m looking forward to next year.” Kelowna, BC, golfer Cooper Humphreys, 16, finished runner-up with strong scores of 69, 73, and 74 (216), while Aneesh Kaura, 17, of Calgary, AB, carded steady rounds of 73, 73, and 75 (221) to round out the podium in third place.
Chase Pochylko, 17, of Saskatoon, SK, was crowned MJT Junior Boys National Champion. After battling rainy conditions for the majority of his first round, Pochylko dialed in his game once the sun came out, recording a sizzling 66 on the second day including an eagle and four birdies, then closed out the third day with a 70, the lowest score of the day in his division. “It’s feels great to comeback and win the National Championship,” commented Pochylko, who shot 77, 66, and 70 (213) to win the title by five shots. “Morgan Creek was in great shape and I really enjoyed the golf course and the tournament.” St. Albert, AB, player Ethan Wilson, 17, was runner-up with solid scores of 73, 72, and 73 (218). Three other players tied for third place in the division with a total score of 226.
The MJT Girls 15-19 National Champion’s title was won by 16-year-old Bonnie Zhai, of Surrey, BC. Zhai, who trains and practices out of Morgan Creek Golf Course, used her course knowledge to her advantage, recording great scores of 77, 72, and 71 (220) to win by three shots. “The key to my win was definitely all the love and support I get from the staff and coaches at Morgan Creek,” commented Zhai. “I would like to thank all the MJT staff and Morgan Creek staff for all their hard work and making this event possible.” After finishing third at this tournament last year, 15-year-old Yeji Kwon, of Port Coquitlam, BC, finished in second place with scores of 78, 73, and 72 (223). Burnaby, BC, player Luna Lu, 14, finished third with scores of 73, 79, and 74 (226).
Winning the MJT National Championship title in the Bantam Boys Division was 13-year-old Michael Li, of Vancouver, BC. Li, who won a MJT Mini Tour National Championship title just three years ago, fired spectacular rounds of 70, 72, and 71 (213) to win by four shots. “I worked hard on my putting throughout the year, and I was able to make some clutch putts at this tournament,” he said. Richmond, BC’s Alex Zhang, 13, recorded great scores of 71, 72, and 74 (217) to finish runner-up, while 2021 MJT Player of the Year, Charlie Gillespie, 14, of Calgary, AB, rounded out the podium in third place just one stroke back (71, 73, 74 = 218).
After a tremendous season on the MJT, 12-year-old Jaden August, of Pitt Meadows, BC, won the MJT National Championship title in the Peewee Boys Division (74, 70, 74 = 218). August recorded an eagle and nine birdies over the three days of the competition and showed great poise and determination right to the very end. “I stayed patient out there and really just focused on my game,” he said, noting that his work on the mental side of the game throughout the season paid off at the national championship. “That allowed me to hit better shots and focus more on what I needed to do.” 2021 MJT BC Order of Merit winner and Mini Tour National Champion, Jim Zhu, 12, of Vancouver, BC, climbed back up the leaderboard after a great third round to finish the division in second place (77, 76, 69 = 222) while 2021 MJT Ontario Order of Merit Winner Andy Dai, 11, of Markham, ON, finished third (78, 76, 73 = 227).
After a runner-up finish at this tournament last year, 13-year-old Ha Young Chang entered the winner’s circle to be crowned MJT Girls U15 National Champion (74, 74, 73 = 221). Chang saw herself one shot behind after the first day and two ahead after the second day. Her final round performance saw some clutch golf shots that were good enough to close out the victory. “I was driving the golf ball really well,” said Chang, who hardly missed a fairway in 54 holes. “I was able to put the ball in great position off the tee and make a few putts.” Langley, BC, golfer Amy Lee, 13, shot 75, 75, and 72 (222) to finish in second place. 2021 MJT Player of the Year and BC Order of Merit Winner Ling Yu (Katherine) Hao, 14, of Burnaby, BC, finished third (75, 78, 73 = 226).
Long Drive, Closest-to-the-Pin and Booster Juice Bounceback winners are noted on the MJT website, along with the full results (see here). All participants received generous gifting courtesy TaylorMade and adidas Golf, and top finishers were rewarded with fabulous prizing from MJT Partners TaylorMade, adidas Golf, Maui Jim, Zeal, and Jaybird. Bloom Education, MJT Official Education and Career Counseling Partner, were on site for free consultations regarding the current collegiate situation in both the USA and Canada, as well as on next steps when moving forward into post-secondary golf. This tournament marks a season of record participation in the program after many concerns with the coronavirus pandemic. The 2021 MJT Early Bird Membership becomes available in early December; for more information please visit the website at www.maplejt.com.
About TaylorMade Golf Company
Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, TaylorMade Golf is a leading manufacturer of high performance golf equipment with industry-leading innovative products like SIM metalwoods, SIM irons, TP5/TP5X golf balls and Spider putters. A major force on the PGA TOUR, TaylorMade has an unrivaled athlete portfolio that includes Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Matthew Wolff, Collin Morikawa, Nick Taylor and Michael Gligic.
About the adidas Group
The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around the core brands: adidas, Reebok and Reebok-CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 53,000 employees.
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.