Darren Zary
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Matthew Anderson is sitting pretty.
He knows it, of course.
Yet, the Canadian golfer isn’t busy crunching numbers or re-arranging golf tees to see what he needs to do to clinch a top-10 spot in the PGA Tour Americas Fortinet Cup final standings and guaranteed exempt status for the 2025 season.
Let the golf tees fall where they may.
“Have I figured out what I need to do? Honestly, I don’t,” admits Anderson, who birdied two of his final three holes Thursday to salvage an even-par 70 in the opening round of the 2024 Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open.
“Obviously, at No. 1, I’m in a pretty good spot. I don’t like to really focus on that too much. I just try and focus on the things that I can control day by day, just trying to be better and going out there and doing my thing. I’m excited to see where it kind of all lies, but I would say I’m happy to be in this spot.”
Fellow Canadian A.J. Ewart emerged as the Day One leader with a 7-under 63 Thursday. Six players were tied for second with a 64 score and six more carded 65s. Eleven players shot a 4-under 66 and seven fired a 67. Scores are low and making the weekend will be a challenge.
Anderson, 24, is back at Elk Ridge and looking for some redemption after missing the cut a year ago.
“Did not do well — so I’m back now looking for vengeance,” he said during a media scrum Wednesday.
“I’ve played pretty well in the past four events — that kind of stretch in there … I was working with my coach and it’s kind of started to take shape. So I feel like it’s in a pretty good spot.”
Despite missing the cut in Saskatchewan a year ago, Anderson chalked it up to a learning experience.
“Just more course experience helps a lot,” he said. “Honestly, around here you’re just trying to keep the ball in play. Obviously, courses up in northern Canada are kind of tight, with lots of forest. Probably not using driver a ton … I’d say the 2-iron would be the club I’m going to use the most off the tee this week. I mean, you’re just trying to pick kind of the widest area of the hole, a spot that makes sense, and just kind of plot your way along.
“You just kind of go with a game plan.”
Anderson, a native of Mississauga, Ont., attended the University of San Francisco. He’s a multi-sport athlete who also played hockey and tennis growing up. He’s now part of Canada’s next wave in golf.
Watching more and more fellow Canadians do so well on the PGA Tour is “very exciting,” admits Anderson, who has already earned conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025 after placing among the top two during the Latin American swing earlier this season.
“I think it’s partly due to how Canada is invested in its young players and their development systems, from their junior to amateur programs to now their young pro programs, which I’ve seen kind of the most positive change in over for my past couple of years, just putting a lot more resources and funding into that young pro program to kind of help out guys who are just starting with just coaching funding, just to practice,” he said.
“They’ve just been really good. I think you’re maybe starting to see the fruits of that hopefully coming soon.”
With PGA Tour Canada combining with the PGA LatinoAmerica Tour, the competition is fiercer than ever. There is even less margin for error.
“It’s definitely deeper,” noted Anderson. “I’ve noticed that. I played on PGA Tour Canada last year, so I do have a little bit of reference, but just because of the fact that there’s less spots, essentially, at this level, it just makes the fields a bit deeper. And you can see that if you compare the cuts from last year to this year are, like, one or two shots better, one or two shots lower, and the winning score is maybe one or two shots lower, depending on the week. I can tell, just based on the scores, that the fields are deeper for sure.”
In the end of it all, a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour would be music to his ears.
“That would be awesome. It’s definitely a goal of mine at the beginning of the year, so it definitely would mean a lot to secure that in September.”
And that would also mean one step close to the ultimate PGA Tour.
“Exactly. And very, very excited about that. Yes.”
SUBHEADLINE: Elk Ridge Open notebook: Jimmy Jones has an eye on the PGA Americas’ weekly prize
Jimmy Jones can’t seem to get enough of the Elk Ridge Open.
He’s back at the Elk Ridge Golf Resort, just east of Waskesiu for a fourth consecutive year and opened this week’s tournament with a 5-under 65.
Jones — a native of B.C. who makes his home in Tampa, Florida where he attended the University of South Florida — entered Friday’s play tied for eighth.
“It (Elk Ridge) is just a beautiful spot,” says Jones, who is the son of the late LPGA Canadian great Dawn Coe-Jones.
“It’s always in great shape. It’s a little different golf than what we play on this tour most of the time. It’s a little tighter. You can go claustrophobic out there. It’s actually like kind of what I grew up with back in Tampa (Florida). It reminds me a lot of home. This is a place I feel comfortable at.”
Last year, Jones finished 21st at Elk Ridge with a couple of 66s on the weekend — “that was nice.”
He shot his best round at Elk Ridge when it didn’t really count as much.
“Actually, a couple of years ago (2022), during the rainout year, they had a tournament for us on Sunday and I shot 64 and that was like my lowest round of the season and I was, like, ‘nice to waste it on a fun day’ but I’ve always liked this place and when you have a course that kind of fits your eye you want to take advantage of it so I’m excited to be here.”
Jones, 28, has noticed greater competition in the field with the former PGA Tour Canada (Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada before that) merging with the PGA LatinoAmerica Tour.
“It’s gotten a lot deeper,” noted Jones. “You’ve seen consistently every week, one or two (shots lower) and the cut-line’s a little deeper. It’s bringing those two tours together and, if you can get off this tour to the Korn Ferry Tour, it shows you that, you know what, ‘hey man, I can step right in there.’ You see what these college kids are doing, fresh out of school and having no fear, going from not having a whole lot of responsibility in college golf to a little more in pro where they can just kind of fire free and get out here. It’s just way deeper, kind of like how all sports are going nowadays.”
Jones welcomes to switch of dates with the Elk Ridge Open now taking place later in summer
“Obviously, the weather’s a little better. Most of these guys don’t deal with the bugs from last time, especially with all the rain (two years ago). I think we’ve got a good week ahead of us so it should be pretty good weather with days like this right now and wouldn’t have to worry about that. I’ve been trying to show the boys the old dryer sheet (Bounce) in the hat, if that myth works. I don’t know if it’s caught on yet, but we’ll see.”
Jones remembers what it was like back in 2022 when heavy rainfall pretty much washed away the tournament.
“I travel around with my X Box. We played, probably, 190 holes of Tigers Woods golf throughout the week, playing our own tournaments and I’m a Lightning fan, being from Tampa, so, luckily, it was Lightning-Avalanche at the time. It didn’t turn out well enough but at least we had something to do.”
Canada’s Matthew Anderson also welcomes the new date.
“Based on the weather forecast so far, I think the decision to move this tournament to this time is a good idea. I was here last year and the bugs were not very good at that time (late June). So the bugs were pretty bad and I know that the previous year they got a lot of rain. Anyway, the forecast looks like it’s going to work out pretty well this year.”
KADE JOHNSON SHOOTS 70
There are only three local Saskatchewan golfers in this week’s PGA Tour Americas field.
Yorkton native Kade Johnson leads the way after shooting an even-par 70 Thursday.
Saskatoon’s Josh Nagy and Ty Campbell — both of whom got into this week’s tournament through the Monday qualifier — found themselves well back in the field after each carding a 5-over 75 Thursday.
BAREND BOTHA COOLS OFF
The hottest golfer entering the Elk Ridge Open was South Africa’s Barend Botha, who had two victories in his last two starts with back-to-back wins at the Ottawa Open and Biosteel Championship.
Botha, who is No. 4 in the Fortinet Cup standings, settled for a 2-over-par 72 Thursday.
American Johnny Keefer, who has five top-10’s in six starts after a third runner-up finish this season leading up to Elk Ridge, had a better day than Botha. Keefer, who was second in the Biosteel Championship to move to No. 2 in the Fortinet Cup standings, shot a 5-under 65 Thursday.
Chris Korte, who returned to Elk Ridge for a second straight year after finishing second in 2023, opened with a 1-under 69 Thursday.
American Neal Shipley, who is playing in his second event on the PGA Tour Americas after making five consecutive starts on the PGA Tour, carded a 1-over 71 Thursday. Shipley was the low amateur at both the Masters and U.S. Open before turning pro.
PLAYERS FROM 19 COUNTRIES
There are 156 players from 19 different countries in the $225,000 Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open.
The United States has 101 players here to go along with 23 Canadians. Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, England, New Zealand, Chinese Tapei, Brazil, Australia, Costa Rica, Chile, France, Denmark, Domincan Republic, Scotland, China and Japan are also represented in Saskatchewan.
The winner will earn $40,500.
It’s the 13th of 16 events on the tour with the last four taking place in North America.
KORN FERRY TOUR CARDS UP FOR GRABS
Up to 15 Korn Ferry Tour cards are on the line during the 2024 PGA Tour Americas 2024 season.
Already, two conditional memberships will go to the top players from the Latin America (Matthew Anderson, Harry Hillier) and another three from the North America swing.
The top 10 players in the season-long Fortinet Cup points list will earn exempt membership for 2025.
Dzary@postmedia.com
