Maxim McKenzie has a shot at a national title after a weekend of intense back-and-forth action that ended with the Chilliwack golfing sensation claiming the junior boys title at the NextGen Pacific Championship.
Hosted at Abbotsford's Ledgeview Golf Club – where McKenzie is a regular patron – this tournament included more than 150 teen golfers battling it out for a spot in the 2025 Canadian Junior Boys and Girls Championships.
Home course advantage seemed to be on McKenzie's side as he took an early lead in the competition, finishing in second after the first round.
A tougher second round shoved him further down the leaderboard, but he was able to recover in time for the third round and shot a four-under-par to sneak into first place, just edging out Nanaimo's Manpreet Lalh.
"All the hard work I put in is paying off, so just keep doing what I’m doing," McKenzie said. "Coming from behind is obviously great."
By finishing in first place, McKenzie has now guaranteed himself a spot at nationals, which are set to take place in New Brunswick from Aug. 11 to 15.
He shares this victory with Vancouver's YanLing (Elaine) Liu, who took first place in the girls division, finishing seven strokes ahead of her nearest competitor.
