WASKESIU, Saskatchewan – SPORTS – Looking for a good entertainment value? PGA TOUR Canada provided it in the form of some thrilling, bonus golf. The season opener in Victoria was decided in a playoff that went three holes, while last week’s tournament in Alberta featured a three-way battle that included two extra holes and a chip for an eagle that ended things.
The Elk Ridge Open has a couple of tough acts to follow.
The third stop of PGA TOUR Canada’s 11-tournament season, played at the Elk Ridge Resort, does feature a field that includes all five golfers involved in the 2022 playoffs. Last week’s winner, Canadian Wil Bateman, is joined again by Joe Highsmith and Jorge Villar. He defeated the duo with his spectacular eagle on No. 18 at Edmonton Petroleum Golf and Country Club. Scott Stevens, the first to capture 500 Fortinet Cup points this season, returns to action after missing the cut in Edmonton. Jake Knapp, the player he outlasted two weeks earlier, is also competing at Elk Ridge Resort’s Tournament Course, a composite put together from the venue’s three nine-hole courses.
Along with those contenders in attendance, so, too, are many other hopefuls looking to win the $36,000 for finishing on top. That includes former University of Virginia standout Danny Walker. He tied for 41st in week one and was 14-under in Edmonton on his way to a tie for seventh. However, he did excel when it comes to getting birdies—making 43 over the two-week stretch to place fourth and second, respectively, at the events. He is No. 1 overall in that category, one birdie ahead of the totals amassed by Bateman and Cooper Dossey.
Although rain is in forecast through Saturday, Walker is seeking continued success in the birdie parade in what will be a soggy start when action gets underway Thursday.
“I’ve been making a lot of birdies, which was a big plus both weeks,” said Walker, who has been working to tighten up some things in his swing and eliminate some of the misses. “I’m just really looking forward to seeing how this course is going to play the rest of the week because there are a lot of birdie chances.”
At the same time, Walker acknowledged, there are also a lot of opportunities to lose his ball in the bush. He anticipates hitting a lot of 3-irons off the tee in his bid for consistency on the 6,781-yard layout.
“Hopefully I can just put myself in contention as many weeks as possible, where I just have chances to get a win,” Walker added.
After missing both cuts this season, Max Marsico has a different approach. His is more a reset button, if you will, to hit and move past the past.
“Move on to the next week. I think that’s something I’ve learned over the years,” Marsico said. “You take each week individually and when it’s over you go to the next and do your best.”
The Rundown
DATES: June 23-26, 2022
OFFICIAL NAME: Elk Ridge Open
HASHTAGS: #FortinetCup
SCHEDULE: Third of 11 official events of the 2022 PGA TOUR Canada season
VENUE: Elk Ridge Resort (Tournament Course)
PAR/YARDS: 70 (34-36), 6,781
POINTS LIST: Winner earns 500 points
PURSE MONEY: (Canadian) $200,000 (winner claims Canadian $36,000)
CUT: Top 60 professional (and ties, plus any amateurs inside the top-60)
FORTINET CUP: The season-long points chase mirrors the competitive structure of the points-based competitions on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. Through the sponsorship, the Fortinet Cup offers a new $100,000 player bonus pool—with $25,000 to the winner—to the top Fortinet Cup points-winners. The top-five Fortinet Cup points-earners gain membership to the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour, while Korn Ferry Tour benefits are available to those finishing sixth through 10th. In addition, the Fortinet Cup winner will also be exempt into the PGA TOUR’s 2023 RBC Canadian Open.
TITLE SPONSOR: Elk Ridge Resort
BENEFITING CHARITY: Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation
Saskatchewanian and former PGA TOUR player Graham DeLaet serves as the Honorary Chair for the event. DeLaet has recently started a new role with TSN and will not attend the tournament this year.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
Thursday, June 23 First Round
Friday, June 24 Second Round
Saturday, June 25 Third Round
Sunday, June 26 Final Round
FIELD OVERVIEW:
SIZE: 156 players
COUNTRY BREAKDOWN: Australia (2), Canada (35), China (4), Chinese Taipei (1), France (2), Germany (2), India (1), Ireland (1), Mexico (2), South Africa (1), Switzerland (1), United States (103) and Zimbabwe (1).
LAST PGA TOUR CANADA TOURNAMENT It was a homecoming made all the more special by the outcome. On Sunday, June 19, Edmonton native Wil Bateman was part of a three-man playoff (with Joe Highsmith and Jorge Villar) to win the ATB Classic presented by Volvo Edmonton. Bateman chipped in for eagle on the second extra hole to join a select group of players who have won titles on PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.
OPEN-QUALIFYING: Earlier this week, the tournament conducted a Monday qualifier, with eight playing spots available for the best-performing players in the 18-hole event. The following qualified. For the third consecutive qualifier, American Brayden Garrison earned a spot in the field.
| Player (Country) | Score |
| Albert Pistorius (South Africa) | 64 |
| Brayden Garrison (U.S.) | 65 |
| Blake Tomlinson (U.S.) | 65 |
| Kameron Williams (U.S.) | 65 |
| Spencer Cross (U.S.) | 66 |
| Kaleb Gorbahn (Canada) | 66 |
| Ollie Osbourne (U.S.) | 67 |
| Kade Johnson (U.S.)* | 68 |
* Qualified via a playoff
GOLF COURSE: Elk Ridge Resort is home to 27 holes, with three 9-hole courses: Aspen, Birch and Tamarack. The Elk Ridge Open will be a composite 18 holes, using Tamarack’s No. 1, Aspen’s holes 2-9 and Birch’s 1-9. Birch’s 1-9 will be considered the back nine.
PGA TOUR CANADA ALUMNI: Since 2013, more than 250 players have graduated to the Korn Ferry Tour, with 46 players accounting for 50 wins. From there, 54 players have moved on to the PGA TOUR, with 14 players accounting for 16 wins. They are Corey Conners, MackenzieHughes, Joel Dahmen, J.J. Spaun, Nick Taylor, Tony Finau, C.T. Pan, Talor Gooch, Adam Long, Aaron Wise, Cam Davis, Ryan Brehm, Chad Ramey and Sepp Straka. There are currently 10 Canadians on the PGA TOUR.
