Frederik Kjettrup wins CRMC Championship presented by Gertens, earns Three-Victory Promotion

BRAINERD, Minn. – Denmark-native Frederik Kjettrup claimed his third win of the season at the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens and earned the Three-Victory Promotion, making him an immediate member of the Korn Ferry Tour and fully exempt through the 2025 season. Rookie Bryce Lewis carded a career-low 9-under 61 in Sunday’s final round to post his career-best finish with a solo second showing. The Masters and U.S. Open low-amateur Neal Shipley secured his second consecutive top-three finish and moved inside the top 20 of the Fortinet Cup to No. 18.

For Kjettrup, it has been a whirlwind of a summer, as four months ago, the 24-year-old was completing an important milestone in his life as he walked across the graduation stage at Florida State University. A month later, the Seminoles finished as runner-up in the NCAA D1 Men's Golf Championship, and with his collegiate career coming to an end, Kjettrup turned a page into his long-awaited professional golf journey. Through a No. 8 finish in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking, Kjettrup became an exempt member on PGA TOUR Americas, and within 10 weeks, captured three victories to culminate another much-anticipated achievement: a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Kjettrup started the day off with a four-stroke lead and 18 holes remaining in the penultimate event of the season. After 15 holes and a singular birdie carded, Kjettrup’s lead was diminished, as one group ahead, Lewis took a one-shot lead after carding seven birdies and an eagle to total 9-under through 16 holes. After a birdie by Kjettrup on No. 16 and two pars on Nos. 17 and 18 for Lewis, Kjettrup entered No. 18 tied for the lead. The final hole, a 531-yard par 5 and reachable in two, was a promising endpoint for Kjettrup as his previous three rounds posted an eagle-birdie-birdie result. This time was no different as Kjettrup played the hole to perfection: a drive down the middle of the fairway paired with a newly-added 4-hybrid 250 yards to the green left the rookie with 23 feet for eagle. Without missing a beat and two putts to win, Kjettrup sunk the putt and claimed his third victory of the season.

“Obviously a lot of nerves, especially knowing I needed a birdie to win, so a lot of nerves. Definitely felt the heartbeat go up a little bit and some nerves kick in, but tried to control it as good as I can and obviously hit a nice shot in there,” said Kjettrup when recalling his 18th hole. “It felt nice to play good this week and get that third win and be on the Korn Ferry Tour next year. It feels really good. Words can’t really describe it. A step in the right direction and a step up the ladder. I’m really excited for it.”

With the win, Kjettrup becomes the first player to achieve the Three-Victory Promotion since its inception in 2020 for the International Tours (formerly PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, which was combined in 2024 to form PGA TOUR Americas). After the enactment went into place in 2020, six players had won twice in a singular season (Wil Bateman, Chandler Blanchet, Noah Goodwin, Davis Lamb, Brandon Matthews and Hayden Springer), but none had accomplished the feat that Kjettrup did on Sunday.

Kjettrup joins PGA TOUR winner Jake Knapp on the list of champions for the CRMC Championship as the PGA TOUR rookie won the event in 2022. Knapp graduated from PGA TOUR Canada that same season, and following a top 30 finish on the Korn Ferry Tour points list in 2023, earned his way to the PGA TOUR for 2024 where he captured his first TOUR victory in his fifth start.

“I figured it’s good company if you can win this tournament,” said Kjettrup on joining past champion Knapp in winning the CRMC Championship. “It's nice to see a guy like him who played out here on PGA TOUR Americas, like you are in the same footsteps that he was two years ago. That doesn't sound real because he's on the PGA TOUR doing so well, so it sounds almost wrong. Seeing that you can progress so quickly if you play good golf, that's good to see.”

The season-ending, limited-field Fortinet Cup Championship is the final stop of the inaugural season of PGA TOUR Americas. The top 120 players in the Fortinet Cup will compete at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, and look to finalize a spot in the top 80 of the season-long points list to retain membership for the 2025 season. Kjettrup is expected to be in the field.

About Frederik Kjettrup (first/-24)

Age: 24
Birthplace: Aabybro, Denmark
Residence: Tallahassee, Florida
College: Florida State University
Fortinet Cup: 2nd

• With the win, Kjettrup became the first player in international tour history to earn the Three-Victory Promotion, becoming an immediate Korn Ferry Tour member for the rest of the 2024 season and throughout 2025.
• A three-time PGA TOUR Americas winner; he won in his second start as a professional and in his PGA TOUR Americas debut at The Beachlands Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist; followed this performance with his second victory at the ATB Classic and his third at the CRMC Championship.
• Kjettrup finished No. 8 in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking to initially earn exempt membership to the North America Swing of PGA TOUR Americas and conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour.
• Made his professional debut at the 2024 U.S. Open after earning a spot in the field via Final Qualifying in Alpharetta, Georgia
• Started golfing at 9 years old and only started to take the game serious at 13 years old; his brother, Nicolaj, got him into the game
• Grew up in Aabybro, Denmark, and was the first one in his family to attend college in the United States (Florida State University)
• Played four collegiate seasons at Florida State where he claimed three individual victories (2022 All-American Intercollegiate, 2023 Watersound Invitational, 2024 ACC Championship) and claimed a team runner-up finish at the 2024 NCAA Championship
• Girlfriend Charlotte Heath plays professional golf on the Epson Tour after graduating from Florida State in 2024
• His role model is Ludvig Åberg; believes he has a good head on his shoulders and admires what he has been able to accomplish in his professional golf career.
• Won the 2021 Danish National Stroke Play Championship by seven strokes over fellow Dane Gustav Frimodt

Competition notes

Course setup: Par 70 / 7,001 yards; Round 4 average: 69.26
Weather: Sunny with a high of 72. Wind from the southwest at 2-8 mph with gusts up to 16 mph.

• Frederik Kjettrup (first/-24) became the first player in international tour history to earn the Three-Victory Promotion, becoming an immediate Korn Ferry Tour member for the rest of the 2024 season and throughout 2025.
• Rodolfo Cazaubon (T9/-14) finished the CRMC Championship as the low Latin in 14-under.
• Rookie Bryce Lewis (second/-22) posted the low round of the day in 9-under 61.
• Team Canada member Stuart Macdonald (T12/-11) moved into the No. 7 position of the Fortinet Cup and was the lone Canadian inside the top 25.
• Caleb VanArragon (T19/-9) was the only Monday Qualifier to make the cut and finished tied for 19th.
• The two amateurs in the field made it to the weekend: Carson Herron (T12/-11) and Ben Warian (T42/-4).
• Martin Contini (T42/-4) made the ninth hole-in-one of the PGA TOUR Americas season in the final round on No. 17, the 142-yard par 3.
• Hole No. 15 – the 234-yard par 3 – was the most challenging hole at Cragun’s Legacy Courses, averaging a +.350.