The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) has announced their players of the year across the nation including here in Saskatchewan.
Buena Vista’s Elias Haukeness is the peewee boy’s player of the year. Haukeness, 12, never finished lower than third in any Saskatchewan MJT event this season. He won the last three events he competed in as well. He said the season exceeded his expectations.
“I just wanted to beat my personal score in MJT, but I came out provincial player of the year which was a total shock to me,” Haukeness said. “Thank you to all the MJT people for keeping this competitive golf season going through the pandemic. It feels fantastic that I was named MJT provincial player of the year. I’m am very proud that all my hard work and dedication has gotten me where I am today.”
Haukeness placed second in his age group (under-13) at the Saskatchewan Junior Boy’s Championship and won the provincial Order of Merit (OMT) trophy for the same age group.
Weyburn’s Darien Herlick (above) had a great season earning the 14-year-old the bantam boy’s player of the year. Herlick won the first MJT event of the season in Swift Current. That was followed by a third-place result in Regina. A pair of second place finishes preceded a win in Warman in late August.
Herlick placed second in the provincial OMT race in the under-15 division.
16-year-old Chase Pochylko (above) won his age group (juvenile, 15-16) twice this season on route to the division’s player of the year. The Saskatoon golfer picked up victories at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club and TS&M Woodlawn this past summer.
He finished in a tie for 6th at the provincial junior championships helping him place 6th in the OMT standings in the under-19 age group.
Theoren West (above) of Wawota enjoyed a breakout summer on the course. The 17-year-old Golf Kenosee player picked up two MJT wins and the MJT junior boy’s player of the year. West said winning a couple of events and climbing near the top of the junior field in the province were his goals going into the summer.
“I met my goals,” he said. “I wanted to be the best player in Saskatchewan and to win two tournaments which I did. That was my biggest goal for this year. It feels great, I worked really hard and that was one of my goals for the year was to be the best player in Saskatchewan by the end of the year so it was awesome.”
West placed 4th at the junior provincials and 3rd in the OMT standings.
Yorkton’s Ella Kozak (above) entered four events this year in the under-15 girl’s category and won all of them.
The victories made the 14-year-old Deer Park Golf Course member a shoe in for player of the year. She was victorious in MJT events in Swift Current, Regina, and Warman. She was also the under-15 provincial girls champion and the U-15 OMT winner.
Sarah Grieve had a busy season and a successful one. The 17-year-old Saskatoon golfer won the MJT 15 – 19 girls age group three different times, picked up a second along the way and is the 2020 player of the year. The Willows Golf Club member said her hard work paid off this summer.
“My goal this season was to lower my scoring average into the 70’s, so earning the 75.88 scoring average definitely exceeded my expectations. I worked hard to play my best golf as soon as the golf courses opened, so receiving this award was a big achievement. It feels great to win this award in my age group this year,” Grieve said.
She placed third at the junior provincials and won the under-19 girls OMT championship.
For more details on the awards visit the MJT website.