Winners Crowned at Mizuno National Golf Championship Presented by HSBC Bank Canada

Barrie, Ont. (August 23, 2007) – Four winners were crowned at National Pines Golf Club in Barrie, Ont. today after an exciting and eventful final round of the Canadian Junior Golf Association’s (CJGA) annual Mizuno CJGA National Golf Championship presented by HSBC Bank Canada. Two-time defending champion Brittany Henderson erased a four stroke deficit in winning in a thrilling playoff in the Girls Division.

Entering the fourth and final round, at the top of the leaderboard was 17 year-old Natalia Ghilzon, of Windsor, Ont. in the Girls Divison. Her final round of 78 (+6), gave her a four-day total of 301 (+13). Sitting in second place after the third round was two-time Mizuno National Champion Brittany Henderson, 16, of Smith Falls, Ont. Henderson was able to close the gap in posting a final round of 74 (+2) to force the playoff where an incredible fairway bunker approach by Henderson allowed her to win the 19th hole with a birdie and capture first place in the division for the third year in a row, maintaining her unbeaten streak on the CJGA Junior Tour. “I hit the ball well today and made some great putts on the back nine,” said Henderson. “It feels wonderful to defend my title.” Ghilzon took second place, while Hayley Brown, 15, of Newmarket, Ont. grabbed third place with a four-day total of 306 (+18).

15-year-old Justin Shin, of Richmond Hill, Ont. seemed to get stronger as the tournament went on. Shin followed up his first two rounds of 78 (+6) and 77 (+5) with an impressive 69 (-3) in the third round, to enter the final day of competition sitting in first place in the Boys 14-16 division. His fourth round of 70 (-2) gave Shin victory in the division, with the overall tournament low four-day total of 294 (+6). “I worked on my putting after the third round, which really helped me out there today,” explained Shin. “After two years of competing in this tournament, it feels good to finally take the win.” A fourth round of 73 (+1) secured second place for Jonathan Kim-Moss, 16, of Mississauga, Ont., with a four-day total of 301 (+13). Following only one stroke behind was 16 year-old Russell Budd of Toronto, Ont., posting a four-day total of 302 (+14).

With a one-stroke difference between first and second place after the third round of competition, Lucas Kim and Kristopher Kowalchuk knew it was going to be a close race in the Boys 13 & Under Division as the two battled back and forth all day.  Kim, 13, of Toronto, Ont. held off Kowalchuk, 13, of Burlington, Ont. as the two posted final rounds of 79.   Kim finished at 313 (+25). Not only is this Kim’s second year as Mizuno National Golf champion, but it also gives Kim his 8th CJGA victory of the 2007 season. “I knew I just had to stay focused and play my own game,” said Kim. “It was an intense round and it came right down to the 18th hole. But it feels really good to defend my title.”  13 year-old Truman Tai of Markham, Ont., secured third place with a four-day total of 335 (+37).

2005 Mizuno National Golf Championship winner, Ryan Corbin, 19, of Niagara Falls, Ont., was able to win back his division title in the Boys 17-19 Division after posting rounds of 74-77-73 in the first three days. His final round of 77 (+5) gave Corbin a four-day total 301 (+13). “I got off to a rough start, which put pressure on me as my lead was shrinking,” admitted Corbin. “I managed to recover and make some great shots. It’s a relief to win after such a wire-to-wire race.” CJGA Team Canada member, Alex Dumais, 17, of Caledon East, Ont., provided tough competition for Corbin, and recorded a final round of 73 (+1) to capture second place with a four-day total of 303 (+15).  Ricky Watson, 17, of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. posted a four-day total 313 (+25) to grab third place in the division.

About Mizuno
Mizuno has built a reputation for producing the best forged irons in the industry. Mizuno's popular line of MP irons has become the choice of many top players in golf and the PGA Tour. Mizuno has established a reputation in the game improvement area with the success of the MX series of irons. The company is also very well known for their wedges, woods, putters, bags and accessories.  For additional information please visit www.mizunocda.com.

About the CJGA
Registered federally as a not-for-profit association, the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) is dedicated to providing Canada's junior golfers with the necessary skills and knowledge required to lay a foundation for a future in competitive golf. Through its six-stage competitive development program that focuses on tournaments, clinics, international competitions, and mentoring programs with PGA Tour professionals, the CJGA introduces the game to juniors as young as five and offers competitive multi-day events for the more advanced golfer. The CJGA acts as a feeder system to provincial and national competitions, collegiate and university golf, as well as professional and recreational golf. For more information please visit www.cjga.com.

The Canadian Junior Golf Association is generously supported by its National Founding Partners, HSBC Bank Canada and LEXUS.

For Additional Information:
Carolyn Arbuckle
Communications Assistant
Canadian Junior Golf Association
1.877.508.1069 Ext. 228
carolyn.arbuckle@cjga.com

Rick Betts
Director, Media Relations and Communications
Canadian Junior Golf Association
1.877.508.1069 Ext. 233
rick.betts@cjga.com