Fortinet Cup, Week 12: Matthew Anderson strengthens lead, John Keefer charges into second

The BioSteel Championship provided its share of fireworks Sunday with many players in contention for the title. The leading trio at Ambassador Golf Club made significant moves in the Fortinet Cup standings, with Matthew Anderson strengthening his lead and John Keefer and Barend Botha charging into the second and fourth spots respectively.

The following is a look at the Fortinet Cup’s top 10 players through week 12 of the 16-week season:

1. Matthew Anderson, Canada

• Fortinet Cup points: 1,291 (12 starts)
• Last week’s rank: First
• Best finish this season: Won the ECP Brazil Open

Entering the week holding a slim lead of only 35 points, Anderson flirted with the possibility of a victory that would have left him way ahead in the race for the Fortinet Cup. A wild final round of 6-under 64 that featured 11 birdies secured him a tie for second that extended his lead to 260 points. Though 12 events, the consistent 24-year-old from Mississauga leads the Tour in top-three finishes (4), rounds in the 60s (27), sub-par rounds (32), par-5 performance (77 under), total birdies (203), and total eagles (13).

2. John Keefer, United States

• Fortinet Cup points: 1,031 (six starts)
• Last week’s rank: Fourth
• Best finish this season: Solo second at the Explore NB Open and tied for second at the ATB Classic and the BioSteel Championship

He may have won Sunday if he hadn’t run out of holes. He closed the BioSteel Championship on fire, birdieing the last four holes and six of the last eight for an impressive 29 on the back nine. At 25-under, only one shot behind Barend Botha, he recorded his third runner-up finish in just six starts. His scoring average improved from 65.87 to 65.42, which is the best on Tour by 1.05 shots.

3. Frederik Kjettrup, Denmark

• Fortinet Cup points: 1,011 (five starts)
• Last week’s rank: 2nd
• Best finish this season: Won The Beachlands Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist and the ATB Classic in consecutive weeks

After missing his first cut of the season in Ottawa, Kjettrup took the BioSteel Championship week off and dropped one spot in the standings. He is no longer the only two-time winner of the season, as Barend Botha matched that record while also winning in consecutive weeks.

4. Barend Botha, South Africa

• Fortinet Cup points: 1,005 (three starts)
• Last week’s rank: 13th
• Best finish this season: Won the Commissionaires Ottawa Open and the BioSteel Championship in consecutive weeks

Only three starts into his professional career, this fearless 22-year-old from George, South Africa, is now a two-time PGA TOUR Americas champion. After shooting 26-under for a one-shot win in Ottawa, he repeated the same dosage to win in Windsor. In two weeks, he advanced from a tie for 219th in the Fortinet Cup to the fourth spot, trailing second-place holder John Keefer by only 26 points.

5. Clay Feagler, United States

• Fortinet Cup points: 866 (12 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Third
• Best finish this season: Won the Bupa Championship at Tulum

A solid third for the past four weeks, the winner of the season-opening event has slipped down to fifth spot after missing three consecutive cuts. Feagler had only missed one cut in his first nine starts of the season and the week off should give him a chance to regroup.

6. Harry Hillier, New Zealand

• Fortinet Cup points: 817 (12 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Fifth
• Best finish this season: Won the Inter Rapidísimo Golf Championship

After missing the cut in three of his last four starts, he got back on track with a strong performance in Windsor. He posted four rounds of 67 or better to shoot 19-under at the BioSteel Championship, where he tied for 11th for his best finish since his win in Colombia. He remains second among the players with most birdies this season with a total of 170.

7. Samuel Anderson, United States

• Fortinet Cup points: 747 (12 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Sixth
• Best finish this season: Solo second at the Diners Club Perú Open

He reached a season-best fifth place in the Fortinet Cup two weeks ago after recording his fifth top-10 of the season in Bromont. His last two starts resulted in missed cuts that made him drop to seventh, only 23 points ahead of Ryan Burnett. Matthew Anderson and John Keefer have joined him atop the list of players with the most top-10s on Tour.

8. Ryan Burnett, United States

• Fortinet Cup points: 724 (11 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Seventh
• Best finish this season: Won the Bromont Open presented by Desjardins

He opened the BioSteel Championship with a bogey-free 8-under 62 to tie for second and followed that up with rounds of 67-69-66 to tie for 27th at 16-under for the week. Including his win in Bromont, he has finished inside the top 30 in his last four starts.

9. Stuart Macdonald, Canada

• Fortinet Cup points: 719 (11 starts)
• Last week’s rank: 10th
• Best finish this season: Won the Diners Club Perú Open

On the verge of dropping outside the Fortinet Cup top 10 with four missed cuts in his last five starts, the Vancouver native got back on track with a terrific week in Windsor. He capped it off with six birdies on the back nine Sunday to finish at 21-under. The tie for seventh was his third top-10 of the season, but only his first since his win in Peru in late April.

10. José de Jesús Rodríguez, Mexico

• Fortinet Cup points: 661 (eight starts)
• Last week’s rank: 8th
• Best finish this season: Won the Totalplay Championship at Tulum

In a solid position after his first four starts of the season, which included a win and another top five, “El Camarón” is now in the middle of a slump. The 43-year-old veteran from Irapuato, Mexico, has missed four consecutive cuts, finishing considerably behind the cut line in his last three starts. He attributes his woes to his putting, which has been way off for the past few weeks.

Who dropped outside the top 10?

• Conner Godsey, United States: 11th
• Fortinet Cup points: 636 (12 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Ninth

Best finish this season: Tied for second at the ECP Brazil Open

Inside the Fortinet Cup top 10 for nine consecutive events, this lefty from Alabama slipped down to 11th after missing his second consecutive cut in Windsor.

Most significant moves outside the top 10:

32. Mason Williams, United States

• Fortinet Cup points: 325 (six starts)
• Last week’s rank: 54th
• Best finish this season: T4 at the Explore NB Open and the BioSteel Championship

This 24-year-old from Bridgeport, West Virginia, had four sub-66 rounds, with a 61 in the second round, to tie for fourth at the BioSteel Championship. This result allowed him to advance 22 spots in the Fortinet Cup standings. He has now recorded three top-10 finishes in six starts.

66. Will Cannon, United States

• Fortinet Cup points: 183 (six starts)
• Last week’s rank: 117th
• Best finish this season: T4 at the BioSteel Championship

After opening the North America Swing missing four consecutive cuts, he followed a tie for 10th at the Commissionaires Ottawa Open with a tie for fourth at the Bio Steel Championship. He had four sub-65 rounds, with a season-best 61 in the second round at Ambassador Golf Club. This result allowed him to advance 51 spots in the Fortinet Cup standings.

74. Patrick Moriarty, United States

• Fortinet Cup points: 154 (six starts)
• Last week’s rank: 116th
• Best finish this season: T7 at the BioSteel Championship

He led the field recording five eagles at the BioSteel Championship, where he finished in a tie for seventh to record his first top 10 of the season. This result allowed him to advance 42 spots in the Fortinet Cup standings.

Next Stop:

Taking this week off after having four consecutive events, the PGA TOUR Americas players will resume the season next week at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open (Aug. 15-18). It will be the first of four consecutive events closing the 2024 season.