Over the weekend, Canada’s top junior golf tour, Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, stopped at Barrie’s Settler’s Ghost Golf Club.
What looked like might be a difficult weekend due to weather turned into a day of local youth athletes showcasing their smooth swings and preciseness on the greens.
Several of the top finishers hailed from York Region, including Gerry Kou, an 11-year-old from Markham who shot a 75 and 77 on the par 72 course. Kou finished top in the peewee boys division for the weekend.
“It feels good,” said Kou, a first-time winner. “I was just trying to make par coming down the stretch.”
In the junior boys division, Richmond Hill’s Sadiq Habib won after the 17-year-old shot a 79 and 69 over the two days.
“It feels fantastic,” said Habib, the only golfer to shoot in the 60s over the weekend. “From 79 to 69 felt unbelievable. I gotta give a quick shout out to Sam and Harrison (playing partners).”
Another top-three finisher from York Region was Emma Hsiung of Markham, a 13-year-old who finished third in the U15 girls after shooting a pair of 94s over the weekend.
Other York Region golfers participating were Max Sue of Markham, who shot a 92 and 80, Ajay Para of Markham, who shot a 95 and 89, and Alvin Qin of Markham, who shot a 101 and 105.
The Maple Leaf Junior Tour awards order of merit points from each event on tour, which go toward qualifying for the national championship at The Wigwam Golf Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona, this November.
Kou is the current leader in the peewee boys division with 300 points on the season and Habib leads all junior boys with 300 of his own.
Other junior golfers from York Region scoring highly so far this season in the Maple Leaf Junior Tour order of merit include Hsiung (210 in U15 girls) and Para of Markham (195 points in peewee boys).
The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour hosts 100 events across Canada each year. The next event in the province is the Team TaylorMade Championship (East) at The Club at Bond Head in Beeton, on Aug. 12 and 13.
