Several young golfers from Surrey were winners during a Delta tournament described as “one of the great junior golf competitions in British Columbia.”
The 54th MJT Harry White Little Masters was played at the Kings Links by the Sea course on Aug. 10-11, with player health and safety protocols in place.
The 36-hole tourney involved competitors aged 12 and under on the MJT Mini Tour.
The event was founded by Harry White, “who was both a catalyst to the ignition of junior golf in B.C. and mentor to countless of young athletes aspiring to play golf competitively,” according to a MJT press release.
The MJT Boys 9-10 Division saw Surrey resident Jonathon Xia, 10, propel ahead of the field on the second day to win his seventh MJT Mini Tour title since 2018. Xia fired an opening round of 78 to sit in a tie for the lead and took control of the situation by carding a 75 on the second day to win by three shots. “It feels good to win,” said Xia, who picked up his first MJT Harry White Little Masters title.
Surrey’s eight-year old Jackson Wang won the MJT Boys 8U Division title after firing rounds of 73 and 69 (142) to win by two shots. “I just tried to say calm and relax out there,” commented Wang, who held off a second-day surge from seven-year old Bentley Hoogerdyk, of Victoria, who carded rounds of 78 and 66 (144) to finish second.
Surrey 12-year old Ha Young Chang picked up her fourth 2020 win of the MJT Mini Tour in the Girls 11-12 Division. She fired scores of 80 and 72 (152) to win the division by four shots. “I’d like to give a special thank you to my coach for the good instruction,” Chang said after her win. She has been making the transition to the Junior Tour this year, playing in multiple events on the B.C. circuit, “and it is just a matter of time before she breaks out and earns her first win on the junior tour,” according to MJT officials in a press release.
Other division winners at the Harry White Little Masters include Jim Zhu (of Vancouver, Boys 11-12), Karrisa Zhao (West Vancouver, Girls 9-10) and Maisy Shewchuk (Winnipeg, Girls 8U).
CLICK HERE for complete tournament results.
The grand finale for the MJT Mini Tour, the MJT Mini Tour National Championship at Tsawwassen Springs, will be played on Thursday, Aug. 20 and Friday, Aug. 21. For details, visit maplejt.com.
The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour is billed as “Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour as well as the only national junior tour run exclusively by PGA of Canada Professionals and the ‘Road to College Golf’ in Canada.”