Langley’s Rose Chen took top honours and punched her ticket to the national championship as Canada’s major finale for 12U golfers crowned six Maple Leaf Junior (MJT) Mini Tour National Champions at the Tsawwassen Springs course in Delta.
Running two days, Aug. 19 and 20, the event featured players qualifying from across Canada based on their performances in their regional MJT Mini Tour circuits.
Playing in fair weather on the first day and rainy conditions on the second, the young athletes competed for coveted National Championship titles in six divisions.
Chen, 12, who picked up three wins on the MJT Mini Tour circuit this year, capped off an impressive season by winning the Girls 11-12 Mini Tour National Championship title with strong scores of 75 and 74 (149).
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“My putting was the best part of my game,” commented Chen, who has evolved into one of the great putters on the MJT Mini Tour.
“It feels great to be the [Mini Tour] National Champion.”
Twelve-year-old Cici Liang, of Vancouver, was runner-up with scores of 75 and 76 (151) while Yeeun Kwon, 12, also of Vancouver, finished in third place with scores of 75 and 79 (154).
Vancouver’s Jim Zhu, 12, won the Boys 11-12 title after blazing his way around the course, shooting sizzling hot scores of 66 and 69 (135) from the blue tees.
Langley’s Ryan LePrieur, 12, and Surrey’s Tiger Xie both recorded scores of 77 and 74 (151) to finish tied for second place.
READ ALSO: Langley golfer Rose Chen wins at Cultus Lake during heat wave
As low overall winners, Chen and Zhu gained exemptions into the three-day World Amateur Golf-ranked MJT National Championship presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf at Morgan Creek Golf Course in Surrey, Oct. 8 to 11.
Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour is the only national junior tour run exclusively by PGA of Canada Professionals and the ‘Road to College Golf’ in Canada.
A non-profit organization, MJT hosts close to 90 events across Canada, with annual awards, scholarships and incentives to help reward performance and participation.
MJT alumni include many professional tour players and PGA of Canada professionals, as well as Canadian amateur, national and provincial junior champions.
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