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.