Saskatoon, SK (June 17th, 2017) – This past week the Canadian Junior Golf Association in partnership with Graham DeLaet hosted the first ever DeLaet Cup at Riverside Country Club in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The CJGA held multiple qualifiers for the DeLaet Cup across the country to compose both Team East and Team West. The team members had a blast all week in Saskatoon getting to know other junior golfers from across Canada and being able to interact with Graham DeLaet.

After the first round four ball matches Team East swept Team West leading 6-0 going into the second round four some matches. Team East’s sweep contributed to the excellent practice rounds and chemistry that the team built over the first few days at the tournament. Peter Blazevic of Burlington, ON and Owen Mullen from Truro, NS were the Bantam Boys that played for Team East who won their first round match 6&4. Blazevic commented about how the duo were able to put a point on the board for Team East in a post round interview, “Owen would just hit his drive first and it would give me a lot of confidence to just hit fairways and then we were both making birdies and we actually holed out for eagle on the last hole to finish it.”

In the second round foursome matches Team West was able to spilt the day 3-3 to close Team East’s lead to 9-3 heading into the final round singles matches. The players had to play through some light rain fall during the first and second rounds which changed some of the teams strategies. Off the course both teams enjoyed spending time making new friends and being able to attend a golf clinic performed by DeLaet and were able to have lunch with Graham as well. Port Williams own Meghan McLean, a Junior Girl, represented Team East at the DeLaet Cup and loved the off course time with her new teammates, “The hotel we stayed at was super fun having the waterslides, and every night at nine the whole team would run down and go down the waterslide together. Overall, the experience was amazing, I’m super blessed to be able to come here this week and just have so much fun and enjoy it with everyone.”

The final round, just like the historic Ryder Cup, was a singles match play in which Andrew Campbell from Saskatoon, SK and Junior Boy member of Team West was looking forward too, “I love match play, Its one of my favourite formats to play and I’m really looking forward it.” Team East was able to hold off any Team West chance of winning the DeLaet Cup going 7.5-3.5 in the singles matches on Thursday. The final results were 16.5 to 7.5 for Team East as the hoisted the first ever DeLaet Cup. Overall, every single player in the event really cherished the time they were able to spend with a PGA Tour Professional and Canadian Golf Icon, Graham DeLaet.

The connect made in-between teammates are friendships that will last forever with the players. Captain of the Championship team, Luke Rowe was very impressed of his teams results in the team style matches, “The team really supported each other as they would cheer on other team members. I was really impressed how Team East gelled and built team chemistry in a short period of time to become the DeLaet Cup Champions.” Along with Captain Rowe, Team West Captain, Cody Kovta was also on the record saying how amazed he was how Team West came together on and off the course during their week together. “I think that the players really enjoyed themselves and spending time with the team. Seeing everyone becoming friends over the week and then exchanging contact information before departing was really heart warming to see despite the final result.” commented Captain Kovta in a post tournament press conference.

“The dinner on the first night with Graham was really nice, I think that he is one of the nicest guys on tour. I really enjoyed the clinic and seeing Graham watching tee shots during the tournament,” said Team East Junior Boy, Vincent Poirier of Candiac, QC when asked about his experience at the DeLaet Cup. Every junior enjoyed being able to participate in the first ever DeLaet Cup and they hope to represent their respective teams in the future and meeting more Canadian junior golfers from across the country.

About the DeLaet Cup
Formally known as the Junior Canada Cup, the DeLaet Cup is the only national junior Ryder Cup style event in Canada. A one-of-a-kind experience for the next generation of Canadian golfers, the Delate Cup will feature a 12-person team in a East vs West showdown. The event was developed to stretch beyond the typical stroke play format in order to provide juniors with the opportunity to test their skills in other formats, such as fourball matches, foursome matches and singles matches. Experience in these different formats serve as an excellent preparation tool for juniors, as it helps them gain exposure to different types of play and develop mental toughness.

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