Three Christina Lake brothers are taking the Canadian golf scene by storm and will compete at the MJT Canadian National Championship in Florida this November.
Austin (15), Mitchell (16) and David (16) Krahn began golfing at just four years old and have not looked back.
“The hours they put in [are] significant. Getting their schoolwork done quickly so they can go practice and play golf almost every day,” said their father, Gene Krahn, in a statement.
The teens currently play in the BC Golf / Golf Canada and Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) associations.
Austin and Mitchell qualified to compete at the MJT Canadian National Championship based on their provincial and national standings, with David also invited to compete at this event.
This year, Austin placed first in both the junior and men’s categories during the Kootenay Zone Junior Championship Qualifier and Men’s Amateur Championship Qualifier in Castlegar and Christina Lake. Austin did well enough in both the BC Junior Championship and the BC Men’s Amateur Championship to qualify to play in the Canadian Junior Championship and the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. “The Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship is the highest level of amateur golf in Canada before you go professional,” said Gene.
While Austin qualified to play at this level, he chose not to compete, instead playing in an MJT major tournament in Surrey that was scheduled the same weekend and won that tournament.
In July, Austin and Mitchell competed at the BC Summer Games in Prince George. In the zone qualifier, the top three boys and top three girls qualify to play on the Kootenay team at the games. Austin and Mitch were in the top three, with David placing fourth. The boys aided the Kootenay team in taking home gold in the team tournament. Austin snagged first place, and Mitchell fifth in the individual boys tournament. “This summer games [were] significant because the Kootenay team has never won a medal in the team competition before, and this year they took home gold,” said Gene.
To help fund the brothers’ trip to Florida for the MJT Canadian National Championships, family and friends have organized Driving for Dollars at Cascade Par 3 Golf Course on Oct. 22. All proceeds from that day will go towards travel and tournament expenses.
A GoFundMe is also set up to help the boys cover their expenses.