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Surrey golfer, 13, chips in to win at MJT tourney played on Northview’s two courses

In a comeback that needed playoff, Justin Bjornson scores Bantam Boys division title
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Surrey’s Justin Bjornson with his Bantam Boys division trophy following the MJT Odlum Brown Classic, held at Northview Golf and Country Club from Aug. 6-8. (submitted photo)

One Surrey-based golfer was among division winners at the MJT Odlum Brown Classic, held at Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey from Tuesday to Thursday (Aug. 6 to 8).

For the 126 young players involved, the three-day Maple Leaf Junior Golf tournament featured a shotgun start for the first two rounds on the Canal course and, after the field was cut to 77 players, ended with the final round on the Ridge course.

Surrey’s Justin Bjornson, 13, won the Bantam Boys title in a playoff over Vernon’s Ryan Vest.

It was a comeback win for Bjornson, who scored rounds of 71, 70 and 71 to tie with Vest at 212, after being down by six shots heading into Thursday’s final round.

In the playoff, he chipped in for birdie to take the trophy.

“I feel fantastic to win such a prestigious event in front of my friends and family,” Bjornson said in a release posted to the MJT website. “I was grinding all day in the third round, and it feels amazing to be able to finish it off, especially in such dramatic fashion.”

CLICK HERE for full tournament results.

The tourney at Northview is “a marquee event on the MJT calendar,” according to tournament director, Chris Hood. “We always have a big field with the top provincial players and the atmosphere is great.”

Delta’s Jace Minni, 17, fired a 12-under total – with rounds of 69, 67 and 68, for 204 – to win the Junior Boys division by one shot, over Vancouver’s Ilirian Zalli.

“I played 38 holes bogey-free from day one to day three,” stated Minni, who recently accepted an offer to play golf at Gonzaga University.

Other division winners at Northview were Langley’s Erin Lee (U15 Girls), Tina Jiang of Richmond (15-18 Girls), Emil Liddell of Vancouver (Peewee Boys), Danny Im of Langley (Juvenile Boys) and Kelowna’s Davide Kaiser (Collegiate).

The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in B.C. is the MJT Big Max Series at Whistler Golf Club on Aug. 26 and 27. For more details or to register, visit maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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Delta’s Jace Minni (right) won the Junior Boys division at the MJT Odlum Brown Classic, held at Northview Golf and Country Club from Aug. 6-8. (submitted photo)


Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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