York Region’s young golfers showed off their skills with seven of them earning top finishes in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s season kickoff May 5.
The organization’s mini-tour began for its young players at the Merry-Hill Golf Club in Breslau, Ontario. There, seven local area players achieved podium finishes, with winners in the youngest divisions earning entry to the FCG world championship in California this July. All division winners also received qualification to the tour’s national championship in British Columbia this August.
“Undaunted by the wet conditions, the mini tour golfers showcased their tenacity and passion for the game in six divisions,” the organization said in a news release.
The junior golf tour is a non-profit and Canada’s top junior tour, run by the PGA of Canada Professionals. It hosts more than 100 events across Canada every year, with the mini-tour allowing competitive players aged 11 to 19 to compete to qualify for international tournaments.
Angelina Chang from Aurora won in the girl's age 11 to 12 division, with one over par on the course and winning by four strokes. Sophia Noh of Richmond Hill was also a third place finisher, five points off of first.
On the boy's 9 to 10 side, Derek Zhao of Maple and Bryce Wang of Markham were second and third respectively, with Zhao only one point away from first.
For the 9 to 10 girls, Zhixin Lu of Woodbridge earned first place by six strokes over Markham’s Fiona Lin.
In the youngest age category, Leanna Tsang of Maple tied in stroke score but came in second due to having a worse score on the back nine.
With the wins, Chang and Lu both earned qualification to the IMG Academy Junior World Championships, as well as the mini tour national championships.
You can find the full tour schedule at www.maplejt.com.
