This week, PGA TOUR Americas will head to Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, for the Explore NB Open.

The Explore NB Open marks the ninth of 16 events on the PGA TOUR Americas schedule and the third of 10 events belonging to the North America Swing. The winner will receive 500 Fortinet Cup points, with a purse of $225,000 ($40,500 winner). The first round was suspended until Friday due to heavy rain in the area.

Field summary (as of July 10, 2024)

156 players from 23 countries

• 105 – United States
• 18 – Canada
• 9 – Argentina
• 3 – Mexico
• 2 – Chinese Taipei, China
• 1 – Brazil, Australia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Republic of Ireland, Chile, France, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Denmark, Zimbabwe, Japan, Dominican Republic, Scotland, Macau, England, South Africa

Players to watch

• Frederik Kjettrup (Denmark): Kjettrup enters the week No. 1 in the Fortinet Cup after winning in back-to-back weeks to start off the North America Swing. With a third victory this season, Kjettrup will qualify for the three-win promotion and earn exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of this season and the 2025 season.
• Matthew Anderson (Canada): Currently No. 2 in the Fortinet Cup, Anderson held the No. 1 position through The Beachlands Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist after claiming three top-10s, highlighted by his victory at the 69th ECP Brazil Open in the Latin America Swing.
• Mateo Fernández de Oliveira (Argentina): Fernández de Oliveira moved inside the top 10 of the Fortinet Cup after opening the North America Swing with back-to-back top-10s, highlighted by a solo runner-up finish at The Beachlands Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist.
• Tommy Cocha (Argentina): A four-time winner on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Cocha is coming off a runner-up finish at the ATB Classic after Monday Qualifying into the field.
• Josh Landine (Canada): One of three Maritimers in this week’s field after earning a spot via Monday Qualifying, Landine won the first Atlantic Provincial Series event at Oakfield Golf & Country Club in May.
• Eric Banks (Canada): Making his first start on PGA TOUR Americas via sponsor exemption, Banks earned conditional status for the North America Swing at the British Columbia Q-School site last month.
• John Keefer (United States): Keefer earned exempt status on PGA TOUR Americas through a top 25 finish in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking. Keefer has finished inside the top five in both appearances (best: 2024 ATB Classic/T2).
• Willy Pumarol (Dominican Republic): The lone Latin to earn exempt membership through Q- School for Segment II, Pumarol recorded his best finish at the ATB Classic (11th/9-under) since the 2022 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Diners Club Peru Open.

About the Explore NB Open

The Explore NB Open marks the first time in PGA TOUR Americas history (including former PGA TOUR Canada) that a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event is hosted in New Brunswick. Brought to fruition by Tourism New Brunswick, the province is widely recognized for its maritime connections and is the largest of Canada’s three maritime provinces. New Brunswick is notably Canada’s only officially bilingual province in French and English.

Notable players in this week’s field include Maritimers Blair Bursey (Gander, Newfoundland, Canada), Josh Landine (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) and Eric Banks (Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada). Denmark-native Frederik Kjettrup looks to earn the first three-win promotion on an International Tour since the incentive became enacted in 2020.

Fortinet Cup overview

The Explore NB Open is the third tournament of the North America Swing and the ninth event of the season. The 10-event North America Swing is comprised of nine events in Canada and one in the United States. The 156-player field features 44 of the top 60 players who earned exempt membership for Segment II from the Latin America Swing, including six of the seven tournament winners this season.

After the North America Swing’s ninth event (CRMC Championship presented by Gertens, Aug. 29-Sept. 1), the top 120 players in the Fortinet Cup will be exempt into the Fortinet Cup Championship (Sept. 5-8), the final event of the season. The season will conclude in Caledon, Ontario at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley with the top 10 players in the Fortinet Cup earning exempt membership into the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour.

PGA TOUR Americas – 2024 season summary

Up to 15 Korn Ferry Tour cards are on the line during the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas season – five conditional memberships will go to the top players from the Latin America (Matthew Anderson, Harry Hillier) and North America (three) Swings, and the top 10 players in the season-long Fortinet Cup points list will earn exempt membership.