Hometown Hero Hoydalo Hauls One Home At MJT’s Selkirk Stop
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2018-07-26
SELKIRK, Manitoba — Players on the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour put on an excellent display of golf in great weather at the MJT Manitoba Summer Classic at Selkirk Golf and Country Club in Selkirk, MB, July 23 and 24, which included playoffs in two of the seven age divisions, and a low overall score from Selkirk’s own Wesley Hoydalo.
MJT Junior Boys 17-18
Hometown hero Hoydalo, 18, fired fine rounds of 73, 70 (143) to run away with the MJT Junior Boys title and low overall medallist honours. When asked about his win, Hoydalo commented, “It always feels nice to win on your home track. I’ve been preparing for this event for a while now and it’s nice to see the hard work pay off.” Runner-up was Zane MacDonald, 17, of Minnedosa, MB (77, 80=157).
MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16
Extra holes were needed in the MJT Juvenile Boys division to determine the champion after Winnipeggers Jacob Armstrong, 16, and Neel Soni, 16, both shot identical rounds of 79, 76 (155) to tie for the top spot. On the second extra hole Armstrong was able to make birdie for the win. “The second playoff hole was the best hole of my tournament as I was able to put my approach shot to three feet and tap in to win,” said Armstrong, who was able to accomplish one of his season-long goals set at the beginning of the summer. “It feels great to win, it’s been a goal I’ve had this entire year and to make it happen feels amazing.”
MJT Bantam Boys 13-14
Noah Fiks, 14, of Winnipeg, MB, finished strong shooting a final round one-under par 70 to take home the Hoselton trophy in the MJT Bantam Boys division. His rounds of 75, 70 (145) were eight shots better than runner-up Braxton Kuntz, 14, also of Winnipeg, who fired 72, 81 (153). Fiks was happy to break into the winner’s circle saying, “It feels amazing (to win), I’ve had a couple of runner-up finishes in the last two events, so it feels good to win.”
MJT Peewee Boys 12U
Top finisher in the MJT Peewee Boys division was Grady Chuback, 12, of Headingley, MB, who was victorious in a playoff over Carson Inman, 12, of Portage La Prairie, MB. Chuback’s rounds of 85, 79 (164) included the only sub-80 score in the Peewee Boys division. He battled from five back after round one to tie Inman’s 36-hole score of 80, 84 (164), forcing a playoff. When asked about how he felt about his victory, Chuback replied, “I am very happy because I want to win the MJT Manitoba Order of Merit.”
MJT U15 Girls
Armaan Dhillon, 13, from Winnipeg, won the MJT U15 Girls division in convincing fashion over fellow competitor Jeri-Ann Lafleche, 11, also of Winnipeg. Both Dhillon and Lafleche are newcomers to competitive golf and use these opportunities to continue to learn more about the game. When asked about her win, Dhillon commented “I feel very proud because I worked very hard prior to the event and it paid off.”
MJT 15-18 Girls
Making the most of her home course advantage was Mikyla Albert, 16, of Selkirk, who finished with impressive rounds of 83, 79 (162) to win the MJT Girls 15-18 title by 12 strokes over Coral Zamzow, 18, of Swan River, MB. Albert will now travel to Tsawwassen, BC, where she will compete in Golf Canada’s Junior Girls’ Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club. After her win at Selkirk, Albert said, “This was a great warm-up tournament for Nationals next week. I have a lot of confidence heading into the biggest tournament of the summer and hopefully I will ride this momentum.” Best of luck to you, Mikyla.
MJT Collegiate 19-24
The MJT Collegiate division saw a tight battle for all 36 holes. Nicholas Glesby, 19, of Winnipeg (84, 81=165) came out on top by two strokes over Will Hydrochuk, 19, of La Salle, MB (86, 81=167. “I tried to stay calm throughout and hit go-to shots that I’ve hit before,” Glesby said about his thoughts on the final hole. He added, “I played to gain competitive tournament experience and because these are well-run events. It’s difficult to find competitive golf tournaments for individuals over the age of 18,” which is the reason why MJT introduced a Collegiate division.
Armstrong, Soni and Albert were the eligible qualifiers for invitation to join MJT Team Prairies at the National Team Challenge at Royal Niagara Golf Club in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, September 23 to 25. This national competition will see qualifiers from across the Country compete in teams of six, representing their home region, in a three-day collegiate-style competition where the low four of six scores will count towards the team aggregate each day.
Full results and highlights from the MJT Summer Classic at Selkirk Golf Club are posted online here, showing winners of the PLYR Long Drive and Closest-to-the-Pin Competitions, and MJT Comeback Awards, and more.
The final stop on the 2018 MJT Manitoba schedule runs August 16 and 17 at Niakwa Country Club in Winnipeg - the MJT PGA of Manitoba Junior Championship presented by National Bank Financial. This tournament features bonus Order of Merit points. For more information or to register, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.
About the MJT
The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour presented by Boston Pizza 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 presented nationally by Boston Pizza and supported by valued Premier, Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT hosts more than 70 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for 7-12 year olds, the Collegiate Tour for 19-23 year olds, and multi-day events for competitive players aged 11 to 18, which are also qualifiers for international competitions. The program offers annual awards, scholarships, and frequent player incentives to help reward player's 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 provincial, national, university and professional level. For more information on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, please visit www.maplejt.com.