Ziemer's B.C. Golf Notes: Ewart a PGA Tour Americas winner
Crisologo birdies last three holes to tie for fifth; Taylor knocked out of PGA TOUR playoffs, while Hadwin moves on; 18th edition Vancouver Open set for City of Vancouver courses
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
(August 19, 2024) - In one week, A.J. Ewart has gone from relying on sponsor’s exemptions to get into PGA Tour Americas events to now being tantalizingly close to earning Korn Ferry Tour status.
The 25-year-old Coquitlam native changed his professional golfing life in a big way with an impressive wire-to-wire win at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open. That victory moved Ewart up to 14th spot on the PGA Tour Americas’ Fortinet Cup points list.
Three events remain and the top 10 on the points list at season’s end earn Korn Ferry Tour status for 2025.
“This obviously changes a lot,” Ewart said over the phone from Waskesiu Lake, Sask. “It feels awesome. Now there is some job security for a little while. I have given myself a chance for a Korn Ferry Tour card which is the goal on this tour. So it feels really good.”
After sleeping on the lead for three nights, Ewart delivered another solid round when he needed it on Sunday. He closed with a three-under 67 and his 17-under total was good for a one-shot victory. Ewart showed considerable poise on the back nine. He did not let a double-bogey on the par 4 11th hole rattle him. He simply birdied the next hole and two others down the stretch to seal the win.
“It didn’t really fluster me,” Ewart said of that double, which came after he pulled his tee shot into a hazard. “It was all good, I knew there were some scoring holes coming up. I drove the next green and two-putted for birdie and then I made a nice 21-footer on 14 for birdie. I knew 16 (a par 5) was pretty gettable and I two-putted for birdie.”
Ewart had avoided looking at any scoreboards, but after hitting his tee shot on the par 4 18th, he finally asked his caddie where he stood. “He told me two putts will do it.” Those two-putts were not easy.
“I had like a 31-footer down the hill and I left it short,” Ewart said. “So I left myself with a nice five-foot, downhill slider, but I poured it in.”
Much has been expected of Ewart, who graduated from Barry University in the spring of 2022 after a brilliant collegiate career. He was disappointed not to earn any status at qualifying school this past spring and is appreciative of the sponsor’s exemptions he has received.
“I have been given some opportunities so far this year and hadn’t fully taken advantage of them,” he said. “I had a good week in New Brunswick, but the last couple haven’t been so good. I wanted to come here and have a good week and see where that put me.
“This win will be a huge help going forward. Obviously, I did it in college, but to do it at this level is a confidence-boost. To know I can do it and to prove to myself that I can compete out here with these guys is a good feeling.”
Ewart, who earned $40,500 US for the win, hopes to carry his momentum into this week’s CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open in Winnipeg. The tour then heads south for its only U.S. stop, the CRMC Championship in Brainerd, Man. The season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship goes Sept. 5-8 in Caledon, Ont.
FURIOUS FINISH: Richmond’s Chris Crisologo also had a big week in Saskatchewan. He birdied his final three holes to tie for fifth at 15-under par, just two shots behind Ewart. Crisologo recorded the fifth ace of the PGA Tour Americas season in the first round on the 134-yard par 3 17th hole.
COSTLY MISS: Finishing outside the top 50 on the FedEx Cup points list is going to cost Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor much more than a spot in the final two PGA TOUR playoff events. Taylor is now no longer fully exempt for the lucrative Signature events on the PGA TOUR in 2025. Taylor had entered the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis 52nd on the points list. All players inside the top 50 after the Memphis tourney are exempt for next year’s Signature events and also get to play this week’s second playoff event, the BMW Championship in Castle Rock, Colo.
After opening the Memphis tournament with two rounds of 68, Taylor seemed to be in good position to move inside the top 50. But after firing an even-par 70 on Saturday, Taylor was done in by a seven-over 77 in the final round that left him 58th on the points list. Taylor is exempt for one Signature event next year. His win earlier this year at the WM Phoenix Open gets him into the season-opening Sentry event in Maui. Taylor, who finished 65th in the 70-player Memphis field, can play his way into two other Signature events if he can remain inside the top 60 on the points list through the end of the PGA TOUR’s upcoming fall season.
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational both offer spots to players 51st to 60th on the year-end points list. Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin will remain exempt for all eight Signature events next year and is alive in the playoffs. He tied for 50th in Memphis and fell six spots to 42nd on the points list. Fellow Canadians Taylor Pendrith (No. 27) and Corey Conners (No. 33) also advanced in the playoffs. The top 30 players after this week’s BMW Championship qualify to play in the Tour Championship.
OPEN SEASON: The Vancouver Golf Tour’s Vancouver Open has a new title sponsor — Odlum Brown — and will be offering a record $12,000 cheque to this year’s professional champion. The 54-hole event goes Aug. 23-25 at the three City of Vancouver courses, McCleery, Langara and Fraserview. This will be the 18th playing of the Vancouver Open and the 12th time the VGT’s flagship event has been held at the three City of Vancouver layouts.
West Vancouver’s Kevin Spooner will be back to defend his title and will face a deep field that includes 2022 Vancouver Open champion Ilirian Zalli of Vancouver. Zalli has shown excellent form of late and shot a 10-under 61 at Langara at last week’s Vancouver Open media day.
PLAYOFF PUSH: Kimberley’s Jared du Toit has a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which begin with this week’s Albertson’s Boise Open in Idaho. The top 156 players on the Korn Ferry Tour points list qualified to play in Boise. Du Toit, who missed the cut by one shot at last week’s Magnit Championship in Jackson Township, N.J., enters the playoffs 142nd on the points list. Each of the four playoff events has a purse of $1.5 million and the field size drops each week.
The second playoff event, the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation in Franklin, Tenn., will feature the top 144 players on the points list. The top 120 players will move on to play the third playoff event, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Columbus, Oh. The top 75 players after the Nationwide event are guaranteed exempt status for the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour and qualify for the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship in French Lick, Ind. The top 30 players on the points list after the Tour Championship earn their 2025 PGA TOUR cards.
PNGA CHAMP: Two-time B.C. Junior Girls champion Amy Lee of Langley defeated Alyssa Rigby of Vancouver, Wash., 5&4 in the championship final of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s Junior Girls’ Amateur at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis, Ore. Lee and Rigby had finished first and second in the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event. Rigby defeated White Rock’s Clara Ding on the first extra hole of their semi-final match.
TEAM B.C.: Wyatt Brook of Heffley Creek, Andy Robb of Vancouver and Stephen Connor of Chilliwack will represent British Columbia in the inter-provincial team competition at this week’s Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at the Carleton Golf & Yacht Club in Manotick, Ont. The 156-player field is comprised of players aged 25 and older. A Mid-Master competition for players 40 and older will run concurrently with the Mid-Am Championship.
TOP 10: Four British Columbians cracked the top 10 at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Innisfail Golf Club in Alberta. Defending champion Alex Zhang of Richmond and Manpreet Lalh of Nanaimo both tied for seventh, while Maxim McKenzie of Chilliwack and Matthew Wilson of Nanaimo both tied for ninth. Isaiah Ibut of Orleans, Ont., won by five shots with a score of 16-under par. The B.C. team of Austin Krahn of Christina Lake, Ryan Vest of Vernon and Lalh finished second to Ontario in the 36-hole inter-provincial team competition.
TEAM CANADA: John Paul Kahlert of Maple Ridge is one of six players who will represent Canada in the golf competition at the FISU World University Games in Kuortane-Seinäjoki, Finland. Kahlert, who is heading into his senior year at the University of B.C., will be joined by Anthony Jomphe of the University of Montreal and William Forgues of Laval on the Canadian men’s team.
On the women’s side Morgan Best of Pointe Claire, Que., who plays for the University of the Fraser Valley, will be joined by Ela Jones of the University of Guelph and Kristi Godkin of Wilfrid Laurier University. The golf competition goes Aug. 27-30.