SURREY — Back in 2013, Evan Merrier had a memorable start playing in his first Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) event when his bag of golf clubs rolled down an incline at Morgan Creek Golf Club. The bag sank in a pond at the bottom of the hill, forcing the teen to withdraw from the tournament.
Last weekend, Merrier went from pond to podium for his first MJT tour win.
At Hazelmere Golf Club, he fired rounds of 75 and 71 to earn the Junior Boys division title at the tour's Ford Series event, held on Aug. 29 and 30 at the South Surrey course.
Merrier's two-round score of 146 edged those of Vancouver's Christian Zalli (148, for second place) and Kamloops' Rowan Froese (157, third).
"It feels amazing to win my first MJT (tournament)," said Merrier, 17.
"I am so happy and proud of myself. I stayed in the moment and played one shot at a time, never got ahead of myself and never gave up."
CLICK HERE to see full results from the tournament, which involved players in six age divisions.
See video below.