The Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-Op provided us with the third Canadian winner of the season in A.J. Ewart, who took advantage of a sponsor exemption to walk away with the victory. The 25-year-old from Coquitlam, British Columbia, had the most significant move of the week, advancing from 169th to 14th for a 155-spot improvement in the Fortinet Cup standings.

There were no changes at all inside the Fortinet Cup top 10. However, Matthew Anderson’s lead atop the standings slimmed to 62 points over John Keefer, who recorded his fourth runner-up finish of the season at Elk Ridge Resort.

The following is a look at the Fortinet Cup’s top 10 players and those who made significant moves during week 13 of the 16-week season:

1. Matthew Anderson, Canada

• Fortinet Cup Points: 1,301 (13 starts)
• Last week’s rank: First
• Best finish this season: Won the ECP Brazil Open

He had a slow week in Saskatchewan, finishing in a tie for 46th. At 260 points to begin last week, his Fortinet Cup lead was shortened to only 62 points by John Keefer, who recorded his fourth runner-up finish of the season. Through 13 starts, he leads the Tour in rounds in the 60s (29), sub-par rounds (34), par-5 performance (-82), total birdies (226), and total eagles (13).

2. John Keefer, United States

• Fortinet Cup Points: 1,239 (7 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Second
• Best finish this season: Solo second at the Explore NB Open and tied for second at the ATB Classic, the BioSteel Championship, and the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open

This 23-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, keeps playing superb golf. His tie for second in Saskatchewan was his fourth runner-up finish in only seven starts. He is playing so well this summer that he has shot under par in every one of his rounds on Tour (27). That adds up to a scoring average of 65.52 strokes, which is the best on Tour by 1.10 shots. He also leads the Tour in top-10 finishes with six.

3. Frederik Kjettrup, Denmark

• Fortinet Cup Points: 1,029 (6 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Third
• Best finish this season: Won The Beachlands Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist and the ATB Classic in consecutive weeks

He hasn’t been able to get in contention after back-to-back victories to begin the North America Swing. A tie for 35th in Saskatchewan, where he carded a final-round 66, was a step in the right direction after missing the cut in his previous start in Ottawa.

4. Barend Botha, South Africa

• Fortinet Cup Points: 1,005 (4 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Fourth
• Best finish this season: Won the Commissionaires Ottawa Open and the BioSteel Championship in consecutive weeks

Coming off consecutive wins in Ottawa and Windsor, he couldn’t get going in Saskatchewan. He posted rounds of 72-67 to miss his first cut in four starts.

5. Clay Feagler, United States

• Fortinet Cup Points: 866 (13 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Fifth
• Best finish this season: Won the Bupa Championship at Tulum

The winner of the season-opening event is in the middle of a slump, having missed four consecutive cuts. He shot in the 70s in the opening round on each of the last four events and has been unable to rebound in the second round. He had missed only one cut in his first nine starts, which included a win and two other top 4s.

6. Harry Hillier, New Zealand

• Fortinet Cup Points: 844 (13 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Sixth
• Best finish this season: Won the Inter Rapidísimo Golf Championship

In a tie for 112th after an opening 72 in Saskatchewan, he bounced back with a second-round 62 to avoid a missed cut. He ended up tying for 28th at 9-under for the week. With 190 birdies, he remains a solid second among the leaders in total birdies on Tour.

7. Samuel Anderson, United States

• Fortinet Cup Points: 753 (13 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Seventh
• Best finish this season: Solo second at the Diners Club Perú Open

Although he finished in a tie for 54th, he made his week at Elk Ridge Resort a memorable one with an ace on a par-4. He did it during a third-round 68 Saturday, hitting his driver from 315 yards on No. 7.

8. Ryan Burnett, United States

• Fortinet Cup Points: 724 (12 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Eighth
• Best finish this season: Won the Bromont Open presented by Desjardins

He shot 71-67 in Saskatchewan to miss only his third cut in 12 starts this season.

9. Stuart Macdonald, Canada

• Fortinet Cup Points: 719 (12 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Ninth
• Best finish this season: Won the Diners Club Perú Open

An eagle-birdie-birdie finish Friday was insufficient for him to make the cut in Saskatchewan, where he shot 71-67 to miss it by two.

10. José de Jesús Rodríguez, Mexico

• Fortinet Cup Points: 680 (9 starts)
• Last week’s rank: Tenth
• Best finish this season: Won the Totalplay Championship at Tulum

After missing four consecutive cuts, “El Camarón” ended a bad stretch with a second-round 64 that secured a weekend tee time at Elk Ridge Resort. He finished the week in a tie for 35th.

Most significant moves outside the top 10:

14. A.J. Ewart, Canada

• Fortinet Cup Points: 532 (5 starts)
• Last week’s rank: 169th
• Best finish this season: Won the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-Op

Living off sponsor exemptions like the one that got him in the field in Saskatchewan, Ewart secured his first win as a professional in style. Following a tournament-leading 63 in the opening round, he remained atop the leaderboard the rest of the way. He led the field in total birdies with 24 for a one-shot win at 17-under.

15. Grant Booth, Australia

• Fortinet Cup Points: 498 (7 starts)
• Last week’s rank: 41st
• Best finish this season: T2 at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-Op

Making his seventh start of the season, this steady Australian tied for second at Elk Ridge Resort for his fifth top-12 finish in seven starts. Tied for the lead at 16-under through 12 holes, he couldn’t pull away Sunday, closing the tournament with six pars to finish one shot behind Ewart. His scoring average of 66.62 is the second-best on Tour.

24. Brendon Doyle, United States

• Fortinet Cup Points: 422 (13 starts)
• Last week’s rank: 54th
• Best finish this season: T2 at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-Op

In deep trouble after a quadruple-bogey to begin the second round, Doyle made a great comeback Friday. He birdied eight of the following 17 holes to card a 66 and secure a piece of the 25th spot at the halfway point. He kept that same pace on the weekend, firing back-to-back 65s to get his best finish of the season and a 26-spot improvement in the Fortinet Cup standings.

Next Stop:

PGA TOUR Americas is playing the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open this week (August 22-25). The 14th event of the season will be hosted by Southwood Golf & Country Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba.