National Field in Place for Nike Golf Junior Championship

August 18, 2006

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Markham, Ont. - The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) will conduct its final championship event of 2006 as 40 of Canada’s top golfers will tee it up at Lionhead Golf & Country Club in Brampton, Ont. for the prestigious Nike Golf Junior Championship. The invitation-only event, scheduled to run from August 21st to 23rd, will feature only division winners from the national Nike Golf Junior Series schedule.

The tournament is the culmination of the seven-tournament Nike Golf Junior Series schedule that took place over the course of the 2006 season from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. The event will take on a stroke play format within four flights.  The following age divisions will take part: Girls 11-19, Boys 13 & Under, Boys 14-16, and Boys 17-19.

Fresh off her recent national championship victory and coming in as the defending champion is Brittany Henderson, 15, of Smiths Falls, Ont. In what is arguably the most competitive Girls Division of 2006, Nicole Vandermade, 17, of Brantford, Ont. and Juanita Rico, 17, of Calgary, Alta. are also registered to compete.

A number of future stars will compete in the Boys 13 & Under Division including CJGA national match play champion Richard Jung, 13, of North York, Ont. and national stroke play champion, Lucas Kim, 12, of Etobicoke, Ont.  CJGA Team Canada member Scott Lowe, 13, of Calgary, Alta. should do well as should Danny Klughart, 13, of Prince Albert, Sask.

A strong Boys 14 – 16 Division includes Brett Cairns, 16, of Courtland, Ont., Jordan Duffy, 16, of Calgary, Alta., Xin Yu Wang, 16, of Langley, B.C., and Jesse Gibson, 14, of Saskatoon, Sask. National stroke play champion and CJGA Team Canada member Michael Gligic, 16, of Burlington, Ont. should do well.

Ryan Putnam, 17, of Georgetown, Ont. is one of two defending champions registered.  Putnam was victorious in the Boys 14 – 16 Division in 2005 and will attempt to duplicate the feat in the Boys 17 – 19 Division in 2006.  Other contenders in the division include CJGA Team Canada members Michael Bosch, 17, of Calgary, Alta., David Downs, 19, of Richmond, B.C., and Ryan Corbin, 18, of Niagara Falls, Ont.

Tee-times for the tournament will get underway at 6:40 a.m. for all three days from the first tee.

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