Another Record-Setting Field Size At MJT’s Mini Tour Stop In Tsawwassen, BC
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2018-05-18
Top Finishers In The Boys 11-12 Division: (From Left) Charlie Derrheim, Aaron Huang, And Nathan Szpakowicz. (Photo/MJT)
TSAWWASSEN, British Columbia (MJT) — It was another wait-listed event on the Boston Pizza-sponsored Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour's Mini Tour at its second stop in a month at Tsawwassen Springs Golf Club in Tsawwassen, BC, Sunday, May 13. Seventy-two players aged 5 through 12 made the draw to play this week, which together with the wait-list eclipsed the previous record set a few weeks back. This Mini-Tour stop also shortlisted several players for the US Kids Golf World Championship at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina, August 2-4, 2018, the pinnacle event for competitive golfers ages 12 and under. The confirmed exemptions will be announced once qualifying has finished across the country.
Sky Sun, 10, of Vancouver, BC, led the way firing an impressive 72 (+2) from the Gold tees to win the MJT Boys 9-10 division by two shots over Michael Li, 10, also from Vancouver, BC. Sun, who is now shortlisted to make the trip to North Carolina with the win, said, “I feel very happy and excited. I credit my strong play on the back nine today. My best hole was on hole 14, where I made a birdie.” Sun finished with a two-under-par 33 on the back nine.
Anna Huang, 9, of Vancouver, posted a 76 (+6) for the second time in a month at the Tsawwassen course to win the MJT Girls 9-10 title and a shortlisted spot into the US Kids Golf World Championship. Huang ended the day on a good note by birdieing her final hole of the day. “I hit an okay drive, and then I hit a great 5-wood onto the green and two putted for birdie.”
Excellence runs in the family as Anna’s brother Aaron Huang, 12, took home the MJT Boys 11-12 division title finishing at 73 (+3). "I feel very excited, happy and proud (of my win)," said Huang. Huang bested Charlie Derrheim, 12, of Delta, BC, by two shots.
Elise Liu, 11, of Richmond, BC, played excellent golf, which included a near ace on the 13th hole. “Hole 13 was my best hole, I almost made a hole-in-one, I hit my tee shot to a foot,” said Liu. Liu would finish the round with a 77 (+7), three shots ahead of runner-up finisher, Ye Ji Kwon, 12, of Port Coquitlam, BC, in the MJT Girls 11-12 division. Liu says she plays the MJT because of “the variety of great courses and the free pizza.”
In the youngest divisions of players, aged 8 and under, the MJT Boys 8U winner was Matthew Cui, 7, of Burnaby, BC, who shot 83 from a modified yardage of approximately 3000. A tough battle in the MJT Girls 8U group saw 8-year old Sarah Kim of Nanaimo, BC, shoot 99 to narrowly defeat Kathleen Dunn, 6, of Surrey, BC, for the victory. Both Cui and Kim qualified for age-specific shortlisted spots, together with Ethan Zeng (Vancouver), Jasper Wang (Vancouver) and Shanya Christian (Coquitlam), and will now wait to see if they will be representing the MJT and Canada in Pinehurst this August.
Full results including PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin competition winners are posted on the MJT website HERE.
The next Mini Tour stop in British Columbia is the MJT Mini Tour / Future Champions Golf Callaway World Championship Qualifier at Eaglequest Surrey - Coyote Creek. The FCG Callaway World Championship will be played in Palm Springs, CA, July 16-18, 2018. MJT Mini-Tour Order of Merit points will also be up for grabs, and these rankings will determine the field for the 2018 MJT Mini Tour National Championship presented by Ford Canada back at Tsawwassen Springs in late August. Please visit www.maplejt.com for details.