Boddy Bests Field In MJT Copetown Classic; 12-Year-Old Has Hole-In-One
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2018-08-15
By MAPLE LEAF JUNIOR GOLF TOUR
COPETOWN, Ontario — Jayden Boddy, 17, of Dorchester, ON, fired back-to-back rounds of 74 to win Low Overall and the MJT Junior Boys 17-18 title in the recent Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s stop at Copetown Woods Golf Club, Copetown, ON.
Boddy, whose best hole was the 16th as he birdied it both days in the MJT Copetown Classic, said he felt really good to get his first win of the season. “I wanted to make a solid score and finish strong,” he added. Runner-up in his division was Justin Nelligan, 17, of Hamilton, ON, who carded 77, 81 (158).
Another notable highlight of the event was the hole-in-one recorded by 12-year-old Kelly Zhao of North York, ON, on the 11th hole during round one, helping her to secure victory in the MJT Girls U15 division with rock solid scores of 76, 73 (149). “A hole-in-one! I feel really good!” she said afterwards. Three strokes back of Zhao was first-round leader Nicole Gal, 13, of Oakville, ON, who had to settle for runner-up with scores of 72, 80 (152).
Making the trip from Calgary, AB, to the tournament worth his while was Tommy McKenzie, 15, who ended up winning the MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 title after firing rounds of 76, 74 (150). “It feels great as I got the chance to win in front of all of my family,” he said. “MJT is a great tour with a lot of chances to develop your game – in Alberta Trent (Matson) runs a great tour just like here.” There was a battle for second place in the division with Tyler Schaap, 16, of Carlisle, ON, shooting 80-76 (156) to secure runner-up spot by one stroke.
The biggest MJT Collegiate division in the province to date saw Anthony Occhiuto, 19, of Guelph, ON, emerge triumphant as the winner with scores of 77, 75 (152). “Generally speaking, I played decent on many of the holes but I really enjoyed number 12 as I was able to hit hybrid and guarantee myself a wedge into the green,” he said. “It feels good to end the summer off with a win, just before I leave to start my first year at University of Detroit Mercy in the States.” Just one stroke back in the mixed division was Kristen Giles, 18, of Georgetown, ON, who shot 79, 74 (153) to finish second.
Matthew Whitehead, 13, of Cambridge, ON, put together two consistent rounds of 79 to card a 158 total and win the MJT Bantam Boys 13-14 title by three strokes over Connor Hagan, 14, of Caledonia, ON (75, 86=161). Whitehead said how excited he was for his first win after being on the MJT for two years. “My thoughts on the final hole were just to make some good smooth swings and not over think it. I feel very happy to win my first MJT!”
In the MJT Girls 15-18 division, Abby White, 18, of Simcoe, ON, edged out Sasha Baker, 16, of Dunnville, ON, for the victory. White, who shot 84, 88 (172), said her putting was fantastic all weekend – “I was sinking a lot of putts that I really needed and this gave me the ability to have confidence on the greens. It is nice to get a win right before I head to school.” Baker finished at 87-86 (173) in second place.
And finally, in the MJT Peewee Boys 12U division, it was Ben De Castro, 12, of Toronto, ON, who shot 91, 87 (178) to secure the rights to his name on the Hoselton trophy, after he edged out a one-shot winning margin over Rhys Constable, 12, of Townsend, ON (94, 85=179). It was a tightly contested division as third place finisher, Aiden Pavey, 11, of Burlington, ON, was also just one stroke back (93, 87=180).
Full results and highlights are posted on the MJT website here, showing winners of the PLYR Long Drive and Closest-to-the-Pin Competitions, and MJT Comeback Awards, and a photo gallery.
The next MJT event in Ontario is this weekend at the fantastic Eagles Nest Golf Club in Maple, August 18 and 19, and the entry deadline in August 15. 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.