By COLBY STOESZ
The wind was howling as the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour capped off its Saskatchewan season last weekend at The Legends Golf Club in Warman.
Over 110 golfers battled the elements, each other, and themselves on the links August 24 and 25, with six divisions naming rightful champions after 36 holes of play.
Warman’s own Dane Giesbrecht captured the Junior Boys division, firing an impressive 6-under 138.
After the final round, Giesbrecht told MJT media, “My summer had been trending the right way for a while now, and to keep the solid play going means so much.”
A double bogey on his second hole of the tournament started Giesbrecht in the wrong direction, but a birdie-eagle stretch had him teasing red figures.
A 31 on the back-nine gave him a round of 67, followed by a 71 on day two including four-straight birdies to close the tournament.
The Warman product won the division by an incredible 10 strokes over Saskatoon’s Ben Staines, who finished with a total of 148.
The 15-19 Girls division went down to the wire, with Kyle’s Chloe Wills eking out a two-strike victory over Regina’s Tayla Perry.
Wills shot a 78 on Saturday, followed by a girl’s low 75 in the breezy final round to claim her fourth victory of a very successful season. Yuna Lee from Regina captured the U15 Girls division with a combined score of 173.
Casa Rio’s Ethan Hunter posted 7 birdies and an eagle throughout two rounds, shooting 72-72 and claiming the Juvenile Boys division by a 7-stroke margin.
The Bantam Boys division saw a closer fight at the top. Saskatoon’s Lucas Sturgeon and Albertan Justin Mrazek shared the day-one lead with even-par rounds of 72.
While Mrazek struggled in the worsening conditions, Sturgeon held strong at the helm, shooting 79 and fending off Pilot Butte’s Austin Nesbitt to secure the division title by one shot.
A blazing 2-under 70 from Jun Lee on Saturday gave the Regina golfer a five-shot lead heading into the final round. He stayed steady on Sunday to secure a seven-shot victory over Lloydminster’s Cooper Roberge.
While the tournament marked the end of the MJT season in Saskatchewan, it provided qualification opportunities for players to represent their country overseas next year. Yuna Lee, Chloe Wills, Lucas Sturgeon, and Dane Giesbrecht punched their tickets to the 2025 Champion of Champions World Championship at the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland next July.