Aurora ON, (May 23rd) – The Canadian Junior Golf Association hosted the first Greg Norman Champions Golf Academy Series tournament of the season at the beautiful St. Andrews Valley course in Aurora, Ontario. Juniors from across Ontario and Quebec traveled to St. Andrews Valley to try to capture their division title. The weather conditions came into play during final round play with rainy conditions which softened up the golf course. Players had to adapt their strategies and game plans to play well in the conditions.

Junior Boys U19

Kyle Chung of Brampton, ON came out victorious on Sunday afternoon to claim the Junior Boys division. Chung had solid weekend rounds of 70-76-146 to clinch the title comfortably by seven shots. Chung’s first round 70 was the only score posted in the red figures all weekend. His final round 76 was tied for the low round of the day which was an impressive score considering the rain conditions.

“Putting was a lot easier, you can hit it as hard as you want and the ball will roll, approach shots and wedges were tough though because you have a tendency to chunk it because the ground is so wet” said Chung about playing in the rainy conditions on Sunday. Chung found that his putter and three wood were a little rusty during the front nine on Sunday but saw big improvements coming down the stretch which lead to his back nine score of 35. Chung was able to hit a sand wedge into the green on the par 4 13th hole which spun back into the hole for an eagle.

Lucas Ross from Penetang, ON finished in solo second at St. Andrews Valley after rounds of 77-76-153. Ross’s final round score was tied for the lowest of the day on Sunday.

Junior Girls U19

Erin Kim of Toronto, ON was the Junior Girls champion at St. Andrews Valley over the weekend after posting consistent rounds of 89-89-178 to win by seven strokes over the field. Kim was feeling good about her win after the round despite playing with wet grips during the final round, which added difficultly to her swing. This was Kim’s first victory on the CJGA which came in her first event on the CJGA as well.

“My irons on the par-threes were good along with my approach shots that got close to the hole”, explained Kim on her games strengths over the weekend. Knowing her position on the leaderboard and the potential weather conditions Kim’s game plan coming into Sunday afternoon’s round was to, “Stay relaxed and not feel a lot of pressure, and just focusing on having a good tempo”.

Finishing in second place was Burlington, ON own Emily Maradin. Maradin had weekend scores of 93-92-185 to finish seven shots back of Kim.

Bantam Boys U15

Ethan Cardwell pride of Coutrice ON, was victorious in the Bantam Boys division over the weekend at St. Andrews Valley. Cardwell had solid rounds of 76-78-154 to clinch the division by six. Cardwell was able to get his first win on the CJGA Junior tour after multiple wins at Linkster events and multiple runner ups on the Junior Tour. Cardwell was really excited to finally break through for the win after he explained going through a transition period from the Linkster to Junior events.

“My putting has normally let me down in past tournaments but today it got the job done for me”, said Cardwell in the clubhouse in a post round interview, “I told myself today that my goal was to break 80 and I would have a really good chance of winning. When I got out there on the front nine and fired a 38 my nerves settled and I could put it in cruise control and make a few pars coming in”.

Peter Blazevic of Burlington, ON finished in second place after posting rounds of 78-82-160. Blazevic remains in good form after finishing top two in his last three events, which includes two wins.

Bantam Girls U15

Evelyn Lai of Newmarket, ON won the Bantam Girls division with weekend rounds of 107-93-200. This is Lai’s second win on the CJGA is as many events this season. Despite the weather conditions being tougher on Sunday, Lai was able to play better in the rain and post the lowest round of the tournament.

“I actually really liked this course, It was challenging but really fun to play” said an excited Lai post round. When asked about her strategy coming into today Lai had this to say, “When the course is wet, the greens become slower so my plan was to chip it close to the hole because my ball would not roll out as much”.

Lai’s back to back wins were highlighted with a chip-in on the 11th hole during the final round.

About the Canadian Junior Golf Association

The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) is a “registered Canadian amateur athletic association” (RCAAA) not-for-profit registered federally with Revenue Canada. Currently in its 25th year, the CJGA is dedicated to providing Canada’s junior golfers with the necessary skills and knowledge required to lay a foundation for a future in competitive golf.

Through its six-stage competitive development program that focuses on tournaments, clinics, international competitions, and mentoring programs with PGA Tour professionals, the CJGA introduces the game to juniors as young as five and offers competitive multi-day events for the more advanced golfer. The CJGA acts as a feeder system to provincial and national competitions, collegiate and university golf, as well as professional and recreational golf. For more information, please visit www.cjga.com.

The Canadian Junior Golf Association is generously supported by its National Partner, Freedom 55 Financial, which provides financial security advice and planning for Canadians.

 

For Additional Information:
Trevor Vander Glas
Communications and Media Assistant
1.877.508.1069
trevor.vander.glas@cjga.com