Canadian A.J. Ewart claims first professional win at Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open

RESORT VILLAGE OF ELK RIDGE, Saskatchewan – Team Canada member A.J. Ewart claimed his first professional victory at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-op and moved into the No. 14 position of the Fortinet Cup. John Keefer captured his fourth runner-up finish alongside Grant Booth and Brendon Doyle. Six players tied for fifth.

Ewart made his fifth start of the PGA TOUR Americas season this week and gained entry into the field via sponsor exemption. The 25-year-old began and ended the tournament at the top of the leaderboard after finalizing Thursday’s first round in solo possession of the lead. Through 36 holes, Ewart shared the lead with three other players and reclaimed the individual lead by one stroke after Saturday’s third round. At one point Sunday afternoon, with four holes remaining, Ewart was part of a four-way tie for the lead. A birdie on No. 16 boosted Ewart back to the top, and with late bogeys from playing partners Chuan-Tai Lin and Bryce Lewis, Ewart claimed victory with a par on the 18th hole.

With his victory, Ewart became a fully exempt member on PGA TOUR Americas for the rest of the 2024 season and through the Latin America Swing of 2025. From relying on sponsor exemptions to get into events to now having a place to play until next season, Ewart relays, “It's really special just having some job security, right, and knowing where you're going to be and plan ahead. The last month and a half or two months have been kind of chaotic, I didn't know where I was going to be or what I was going to be doing, just playing everywhere and whatnot. Now it's nice to know exactly what's going to happen.”

Not only did a victory secure Ewart exempt membership, but it moved him 155 spots up the Fortinet Cup to No. 14 in the points list. Given that Ewart is safely inside the top 120 of the Fortinet Cup, he is expected to play in the next two full-field events, as well as the limited-field, season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship. The top 10 players in the Fortinet Cup following the conclusion of the Fortinet Cup Championship will earn Korn Ferry Tour cards for the 2025 season.

“Yeah, obviously it's special, right,” said Ewart on the opportunity to content for a Korn Ferry Tour card. “That's what we want to be. We want to keep moving on up and eventually make our way to the PGA TOUR. To have a chance for a Korn Ferry Tour card is everything that I could wish for. I'm thankful to be in this position and looking to make the most of the opportunity.”

Prior to this season, the Coquitlam native entered into his first year as a professional after graduating from a four-year collegiate career at Barry University. He accounted for 14 collegiate victories, breaking the previous record held by PGA TOUR player Adam Svensson. Upon graduation, Ewart qualified for PGA TOUR Canada, but on the outcome of only three made cuts, finished No. 89 in the Fortinet Cup and lost status.

Moving into his second season as a professional in 2024, Ewart appeared in three other events (prior to the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open) on the basis of sponsor exemptions, as well as a fourth event due to his season-best and top-25 finish at the Explore NB Open (T25/-14). With Sunday’s victory, Ewart will round out the rest of the season as a fully exempt member on PGA TOUR Americas, and is expected to be in the field at next week’s CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open.

About A.J. Ewart (first/-17)

Age: 25
Birthplace: Coquitlam, Canada
Residence: Coquitlam, Canada
College: Barry University
Fortinet Cup: 14th

• With the win, becomes an exempt member on PGA TOUR Americas for the remainder of the 2024 season and through the Latin America Swing of 2025; earned 500 points and is No. 14 in the Fortinet Cup
• Made his fifth start on PGA TOUR Americas this week and gained entry to the field via sponsor exemption; best finish came at his Tour debut at the Explore NB Open (T25/-14)
• Has been a member of Golf Canada since 2017; initially joined the team’s amateur squad from 2017-18 and 2022, and most recently became a part of Team Canada for 2023-24
• Played four seasons at Division II Barry University (2019-23); won a school-record 14 times, breaking the previous record held by fellow-Canadian and current PGA TOUR player Adam Svensson
• Tied Adam Svensson’s school record of seven victories in a season during his junior year in 2022; finished inside the top-15 in each tournament appearance this season (13)
• Was just the second Division II player ever to win the Golfstat Cup, finishing the year with a 69.78 scoring average
• Won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the top player in Division II golf as a junior
• Began playing golf at two years old; got into the game through his father who was a touring professional and now teaches golf at Burnaby Mountain Golf Course

Competition notes

Course setup: Par 70 / 6,781 yards; R4 average: 67.98
Weather: Partly cloudy with a high of 76. Wind from the southeast at 3-6 mph with gusts up to 13 mph.

• Team Canada member A.J. Ewart (first/-17) claimed his first professional victory and originally gained entry into this week’s event via sponsor exemption.
• Rookie Johnny Keefer (T2/-16) claimed his fourth runner-up finish of the season.
• Yorkton-native and sponsor exemption Kade Johnson finished T41 at 7-under.
• The low-round of the day was posted by 11 players in 5-under 65.
• Willy Pumarol finished as the low Latin in 9-under and T28.
• Ewart (first/-17) and Chris Crisologo (T5/-15) were the low Canadians inside the top-five.
• Chris Crisologo (T5/-15) recorded the fifth ace of the PGA TOUR Americas season in the first round on No. 17 – the 134-yard par 3.
• Chris Crawford (T5/-15) recorded his second hole-in-one of the season in the second round on No. 15 – the 164-yard par 3.
• Samuel Anderson (T54/-4) made a hole-in-one in the third round on the 315-yard par 4 No. 7; it was his second hole-in-one of the season.
• Hole No. 3 – the 488-yard par 4 – was the most challenging hole at Elk Ridge Resort, averaging a +.350.