Organizers may want to rename the championship trophy for girls at the Hillview City Junior Golf Championship the Kendra Jones-Munk Trophy.
The Vernon golfer won the event for the seventh straight year, in perhaps her final year of eligibility. Braxton MacDonald won the boy’s event held in early September, shaking off a double bogey on the opening hole.
“The Hillview City Junior tournament was such a fun time competing against some of my closest friends,” said Jones-Munk, 17, in Grade 12 at W.L. Seaton Secondary. “Even though my score was not what I was hoping for I kept pushing through the round to bring it down a bit.
“Having won the tournament for the seventh year in a row was a great experience since it may be my last year competing in that tournament. I hope to have passed on the legacy of Hillview girls champion to the next star from Hillview.”
READ MORE: Vest, Jones-Munk city champs
Jones-Munk used the city tournament as a tune-up for the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s fifth annual MJT National Team Challenge, held mid-September at the Royal Niagara Golf Club in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It’s a unique event for Canadian junior golf featuring collegiate-style scoring.
There were 15 teams, made up of girls and boys, comprising 90 competitors from across Canada, the USA, Mexico and Australia in a 54-hole event.
Jones-Munk played for Team Canada West, which placed ninth overall. Individually, she tied for 22nd after rounds of 94-84-86-268.
“The competition at Niagara-on-the Lake was such a fun experience playing against many different teams from around the world,” she said. “It was not my best week of scores but I improved my score from Day 1 by 14 for Day 2, and I was very proud of myself for coming back and pushing for a better score.
“Day 3 saw some unfavourable conditions with high winds and very cool temperatures but I kept my score consistent with that of Day 2. Overall I really enjoyed my time at Niagara meeting many new friends, both Canadian and international, and if I got the opportunity to go again it would be amazing.”
Those two tournaments were the end to a busy summer of golf for Jones-Munk. She missed the cut at the Canadian Junior Ladies championship in Lethbridge by one shot with rounds of 80 and 83 – her final putt on Day 2 at the 18th green lipped out or she would have played the final two rounds had it gone in.
She also took part in the U.S. Pacific Northwest Golf Association match-play tournament in Port Ludlow, Wash., where she made it to the final match in her flight, losing on the 17th holes, 3 and 1.
“The first two days were stroke play only to get into the match play competition,” said Jones-Munk. “I do like the match play style. It’s more one-on-one. There’s less pressure sometimes, but then there can be pressure when you have to make a putt with the hole on the line.”
READ MORE: Vernon golfer earns tour trifecta
Earlier in the summer, Jones-Munk won the Zone 2 junior girls tour title, Order of Merit and most sportsmanlike player honours.
