Tight Races After First Round of CJGA Nike Golf Junior Championship

August 21, 2006

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Brampton, Ont. - As one of Canada’s toughest rated golf courses, Lionhead Golf & Country Club showed its teeth on Monday for the first round of the Canadian Junior Golf Association’s (CJGA) Nike Golf Junior Championship.Three junior golfers shared the low first round score at 73 (+1) for the final national championship event on the CJGA schedule.

Tim Lew, 18, of Courtice, Ont. posted the first 73 of the day in the Boys 17 - 19 Division, highlighted by a 35 (-1) on the back nine. Lew leads Ryan Corbin, 18, of Campbellville, Ont. by three strokes and Barrie, Ont. resident Greg Board, 18, by six. “Tomorrow, I plan on taking a little more time over the short putts,” said Lew. “There are a lot of high calibre players here so you can’t take shots for granted.”

Sam Mills-Holland, 16, of New Minas, N.S., Michael Gligic, 16, of Burlington, Ont. and Brett Cairns, 16, of Courtland, Ont. lead the way in the Boys 14 - 16 Division after all three fired opening rounds of 73.  Mills-Holland birdied holes 7, 8, and 9 to shoot even on the front nine while Gligic chipped in for birdie on the 18th hole to post his number. Cairns posted a 35 (-1) on the back nine.  “The course is in great shape,” said Mills-Holland, who admitted the lack of wind made for ideal scoring conditions. “I hit a lot of greens and made a lot of birdies today,” he said. 

Gajan Sivabalasingham, 12, of Markham, Ont. fired an opening round 76 on the difficult Lionhead layout to open up a four stroke lead in the Boys 13 & Under Division ahead of North York, Ont. resident Richard Jung, 13. “It could have been better today but I played solid. Made a lot of par saves,” said Sivabalasingham. Kristopher Kowalchuk, 12, of Burlington, Ont. and Lucas Kim, 12, of Etobicoke, Ont. are tied for third in the division at 81.

Brittany Henderson, 15, of Smiths Falls, Ont. continued her stellar play of late, opening with a 76 (+4) to grab the lead in the Girls Division. “I missed a few short putts today but I hit the ball well,” said Henderson.  She leads Ancaster, Ont. native Laura Hildebrandt, 15, by two strokes and Irene Jung 13, of Bedford, N.S. by three.

The second round of the Nike Golf Junior Championship will get underway at 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday.  Tee-times will run to 8:40 a.m.

About Nike Golf Canada
Nike Golf Canada is passionately dedicated to honouring and respecting the traditions and heritage of the game, and to providing committed golfers with the absolute best equipment in the game in every product category. Nike Golf equipment can be found in the bag of a number of elite touring professionals including 2006 Tournament Players Champion Stephen Ames of Calgary, Alta. The top Canadian money winner on the PGA Tour in 2004 will host the second annual Stephen Ames Cup in Moka, Trinidad in 2006.

For more information on Nike Golf Canada, visit our Web site at www.nikegolf.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 our National Founding Partner, HSBC Bank Canada.

For Additional Information:
Rick Betts
Director, Media Relations and Communications
Canadian Junior Golf Association
Office: 1.877.508.1069 Ext. 233
Cell: 416.708.1482
Email: rick.betts@cjga.com