Matthew Anderson leads PGA TOUR Americas’ season-long Fortinet Cup into North America Swing

ANCASTER, Ontario – Matthew Anderson, a second-year pro from nearby Mississauga, Canada, is not timid.

Five years ago, when he debuted at the RBC Canadian Open as a rising college sophomore, it was a different story.

Anderson has long admired Tommy Fleetwood – the game, the tempo, the class. So when Anderson and Fleetwood crossed paths Monday afternoon near Hamilton Golf and Country Club’s putting green, Anderson went for it: Would Fleetwood be up for a Tuesday practice round? The answer was yes.

Five years ago, Anderson wouldn’t have made this ask, he admitted this week. But success and confidence go hand-in-hand, and Anderson enters this week atop PGA TOUR Americas’ season-long Fortinet Cup standings. He didn’t want to pass up a chance to spend some time with Fleetwood, last year’s RBC Canadian Open runner-up and world No. 13. So he didn’t.

“It’s such a treat,” Anderson said Tuesday at Hamilton, also the site of his debut in 2019. “He hits it so good, and it’s cool asking him some questions. Very cool.

“It’s awesome to have a PGA TOUR start so close to home, and especially my second at the same course. I was so nervous last time; everything was very overwhelming, and five years later, I feel like I belong and I feel like my game is so much more well-rounded and meant to be able to play a golf course like this. It’s so cool to have another opportunity to see what I can do. Go out and have fun and enjoy it.”

Tuesday’s practice round was quite the start. The seasoned veteran Fleetwood and up-and-comer Anderson traversed Hamilton Golf and Country Club’s front nine in the waning daylight, sharing laughs and insights. One such moment came after Anderson’s tee shot at the par-5 fourth – it looked to be cutting right of the fairway, but it landed soft to leave a mid-iron approach that Anderson striped to 6 feet.

As the duo navigated Hamilton’s short par-4 fifth, they discussed Anderson’s career path to this point – after finishing at the University of San Francisco in spring 2023 (as a graduate student), he turned pro and qualified for PGA TOUR Canada. He finished No. 50 on the season-long Fortinet Cup to retain status for the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas’ Latin America Swing, where he thrived with three top-three finishes in six starts including a win. As a top-two finisher on the Latin America Swing, he secures conditional 2025 Korn Ferry Tour status at minimum. (The top 10 on the season-long Fortinet Cup after the North America Swing will earn exempt 2025 Korn Ferry Tour status). This caught the attention of Golf Canada, which offered Anderson a sponsor exemption into this week’s field.

As Anderson explained the process, Fleetwood was curious and engaged. The 15th-year pro has seen the game’s depth increase throughout his career, and Anderson is among this latest generation of fearless young pros who hit the ball a proverbial mile and aren’t fazed by much.

“Really lovely guy,” Fleetwood said. “Got a bright future ahead of him. Hit the ball really, really well. He just looked like he was enjoying it a lot, which I think is really important. It's something that guys forget about at times.

“Happy to have the opportunity to meet someone new and play with him and make a new friend, really, that's just on the same journey as you.”

Anderson also relished the experience; a posed photo on the 249-yard, par-3 sixth tee will serve as a memento for years to come. He waited a couple hours Tuesday for Fleetwood to return from a previously scheduled off-site obligation, and the afternoon was worth the wait, gleaning insights that should serve him well in his promising career – perhaps as soon as this week.