Brooklyn, ON (July 17th, 2017) – The first ball was hit at 8:00am this morning to start off the 2017 CJGA PING Canadian Junior Match Play Championship at Lakeridge Golf Links in Brooklyn, ON. After previous days of rainfall including last night, the golf course was soft for the morning wave of tee times. The sun came out mid morning which dried up the course as the Lakeridge maintenance staff did an amazing job to have the course in championship condition. The stakes are high as Juniors looked to have solid first rounds to help them make the cut after the second round.

Junior Boys Division (U19)

After the first round the Junior Boys Division has a very tight leaderboard. Tied in first place after the opening round is Tyler McDowell of Whitby, ON and Zachary Wylie-Kos of Kanata, ON who both shot even par rounds of 72. One shot behind the leaders is hometown boy, Jordan Green and Romi Dilawri from Ottawa, ON after they both had rounds of 73. There are ten players currently within three shots of the lead as the field will be cut down to sixteen after the second round tomorrow.

Junior Girls Division (U19)

Sukriti Harjai of Thornhill, ON is the first round leader in the Junior Girls division after shooting an opening round 82 to give herself a three stroke lead. Currently tied in second place is Kacey Walker from Mississauga, ON and Vaijayanti Bharkhada from Brampton, ON who shot pairs of 85’s. In fourth place is Mackenzie Morrison of Toronto, ON after she shot an 86. The Junior Girls division leaderboard is pretty close heading into the second round. The field will be cut down to eight players following tomorrows second round before the match play portion of the tournament begins.

Bantam Boys Division (U15)

Ethan Cardwell from Courtice, ON finished the first round of the CJGA PING Canadian Junior Match Play Championship with a three shot lead over the field as he was the only player to shoot below par on a soft golf course. Cardwell’s solid and consistent ball striking throughout the round helped him to shoot a 70 in the opening round. Zander Gibson of Milton, ON is just three shots back of Cardwell after he posted a 73 in the first round. The top sixteen players after tomorrows second round will make it to the match play portion of the tournament beginning Wednesday morning.

Bantam Girls Division (U15)

Burlington, Ontario’s own Sarah Gallagher is the current leader in the Bantam Girls division after a first round 80. Gallagher enters the second round with a two shot lead over Madelin Boyd of Oshawa, ON. The competition in the Bantam Girls division is close as only nine strokes separates the whole field. The field will be cut to four in the Bantam Girls division after tomorrow’s round.

About the CJGA PING Canadian Junior Match Play Championship

In 2001 the PING Canadian Junior Match Play Championship was incorporated into the CJGA tournament schedule to provide junior golfers with outstanding skills an opportunity to compete in a match play format. Juniors gain a valuable experience due to the tournaments’ strength of field and have a chance to evaluate their skills against some of the nation’s best junior golfers. This tournament is the only national junior match play event in Canada.

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