October 2, 2006

Markham, Ont. - The fifth annual Mizuno All-Canadian Award was presented on Sunday evening during a special ceremony following the final round of the Canadian Junior Golf Association’s (CJGA) Ontario Fall Series Finale at Caledon Woods Golf & Country Club in Bolton, Ont. 

Two juniors were selected - one boy and one girl - from a number of applications that were received from across the country. The winners of the award showed a commitment in golf, academics, and in the community in 2006. 

The deserving winners of the Mizuno All-Canadian Award are Oliver Cardoso, 17, of Ile-Bizard, Que. and Smiths Falls, Ontario’s Brittany Henderson, 15, who becomes the first two-time winner of the prestigious award.

Cardoso’s impressive resume includes not only a number of remarkable golf-related achievements, but also a commitment in both the classroom and the community.
 
Cardoso, who plays out of Royal Montreal Golf Club, has posted a number of golf victories throughout his career, including a CJGA win at L’Ile de Montreal in May of this year.

What is perhaps most impressive are his academic achievements. Cardoso graduated from high school in 2005 with a 97.1% academic average through his five years of secondary school. He was accepted at Queen’s University’s School of Business; one of the most prestigious business programs in the country. Cardoso also recently placed in the top 1% of all students worldwide who wrote the SAT Reasoning Test. 

“I am honoured and privileged to be recognized for this prestigious award, and to be listed among the others that have won the award in the past,” said Cardoso. “To be recognized for my golf, academic, and community achievements is really an honour.”

The female recipient of the Mizuno All-Canadian Award, Henderson, becomes the first junior in the trophy’s history to be recognized twice for her outstanding achievements. Henderson enjoyed a very successful season, capturing the Mizuno CJGA National Golf Championship for the second consecutive year as well as another other national championship title. In doing so, Henderson became the first junior golfer to repeat as a national champion in consecutive years. The young standout is unbeaten on the CJGA tour for nearly three years. 

Outside of golf, Henderson is equally as successful, finishing her first year of high school with an average of over 92%. She also volunteers her time to coach at the Lombardy Public School golf and badminton teams. 

“To be recognized again for the Mizuno All-Canadian Award is just overwhelming,” said Henderson, who is entering grade 10 at Smiths Falls District Collegiate. “I’m honoured to be recognized for my achievements outside of golf.”

Congratulations to Oliver Cardoso and Brittany Henderson, the 2006 recipients of the Mizuno All-Canadian Award. In addition to accepting this honorable award, each winner will be granted All-Canadian status and will receive a set of Mizuno irons along with a Mizuno golf bag. 

Previous Mizuno All Canadian Award Winners
Robbie Greenwell, Georgetown, Ont. (2002)
Jessica Potter, Coquitlam, B.C. (2002)
Jason Bell, Thornhill, Ont. (2003)
Kira Meixner, Richmond, B.C. (2003)
Adam McCauley, Duncan, B.C. (2004)
Laura Harris, New Minas, N.S. (2004)
Cory Renfrew, Victoria, B.C. (2005)
Brittany Henderson, Smiths Falls, Ont. (2005)

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 our National Founding Partner, HSBC Bank Canada.

For Additional Information:
Jason Marchand
Communications Assistant
Canadian Junior Golf Association
1.877.508.1069 Ext. 235
jason.marchand@cjga.com

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