Junior Canadian Golfers gather for 2002 Western Champioship
Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:17:42
As the third of six Bank of Montreal Future Links Junior Series championships, the 2002 Western Championship features 84 of Canada's top young male and female golfers in a three-day, 54-hole stroke play competition. Wintergreen Family Resort will play host to a stellar field as a number of past and present champions are set to compete.
In the Junior Boys division, 2002 Future Links Pacific champion Patrik Ericson of Langley, BC looks to claim his second Bank of Montreal Future Links Junior Series title in as many attempts. Among the favourites to challenge for the Junior Boys title include Ryan Yip of Calgary, AB and Ryan Swelin of Sundre, AB who both recently represented Canada at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. Yip also comes in as the 2001 Canadian Juvenile Champion and runner-up at last year's Future Links Western Championship. Scott James of Victoria, BC will also be looking to better his runner-up finish to Ericson at the 2002 Future Links Pacific Championship in April. As they battle for the Junior Boys title, competitors will also be looking to collect points towards the Bank of Montreal Junior Order of Merit, Canada's national junior ranking system for boys.
In the Junior Girls division, Kim Cammer of Strathmore, AB looks to improve on her second-place finish at last year's Bank of Montreal Future Links Western Championship. Calgary natives Amanda Weightman and Jaimie Myck - who finished fifth and sixth respectively at last year's Western Championship - could also make a run at the title.
In the Bantam division, 12-year old golfing phenom Dustin Zhang of Calgary looks for his second Future Links title of the season after winning the division at the 2002 Bank of Montreal Future Links Pacific Championship in April.
Now in its third year, the Bank of Montreal Future Links Junior Series has established itself as the premier junior golf circuit in Canada. With six regional championships and over 500 participants in three age categories - Junior Girls (13-18 years), Junior Boys (14-18 years), the newly added Bantam Category (11-13 years) - and with two high profile American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) championships, the Future Links Junior Series continues to raise the bar for championship junior golf nationwide.
"As the Bank of Montreal Future Links Junior Series continues to grow, we've seen a tremendous jump in terms of talent and strength of our fields," said Sean Van Kesteren, RCGA Manager of Amateur Competitions. "The calibre of golf at our first two events in Victoria and Manitoba was impressive and judging by the field we're expecting at Wintergreen, I'd say we're in for another fantastic showcase of talent."
About Bank of Montreal Future Links
Bank of Montreal Future Links is a national junior golf program spearheaded by the Royal Canadian Golf Association, the Canadian Professional Golfers' Association and Canada's provincial golf associations. The program is designed to forge a "link" between Canada's youth and golf to ensure the "future" of the game in Canada. Since its inception in 1996, more than 122,000 kids have taken part in Future Links programs. The program receives the generous support of its title sponsor Bank of Montreal, and official suppliers Ford and ClubLink. For more information about Bank of Montreal Future Links programs, the Junior Series championships and the Bank of Montreal Junior Order of Merit, please visit www.future-links.org.
About Bank of Montreal's Involvement with Golf
In addition to being the proud title sponsor of Future Links, Bank of Montreal is the title sponsor of the only Canadian stop of the LPGA tour, the Bank of Montreal Canadian Women's Open. It is also the principal sponsor of the Bank of Montreal Canadian Women`s Tour, providing top women golfers with the opportunity to compete in high-caliber tournaments and to qualify for the Canadian Open.
About the RCGA
The RCGA, the governing body of men's amateur golf in Canada, determines national policies and standards relating to the game on behalf of its almost 300,000 members. In addition to conducting Canada's six national amateur championships, the RCGA also conducts three professional tournaments: the Bell Canadian Open, the AT&T Canada Senior Open, and the Bank of Montreal Canadian Women's Open. Information about all RCGA events and programs can be found on the Internet at www.rcga.org.
