A lot up for grabs at Fortinet Cup Championship

KITCHENER, Ontario—Mathematically speaking, there are 13 golfers still in the running for PGA TOUR Canada’s top prize, the Fortinet Cup. The season-long points title is up for grabs as the circuit wraps up its 2022 campaign with the Fortinet Cup Championship this week at the visually stunning and challenging Deer Ridge Golf Club.

Besides 600 Fortinet Cup points and $40,500 to the tournament winner, the overall points champion will earn Player of the Year honors, 2023 Korn Ferry Tour membership, a $25,000 bonus—courtesy of Fortinet—and a playing spot in the PGA TOUR’s 2023 RBC Canadian Open.

Players ranking second through fifth when Sunday night arrives earn 2023 Korn Ferry Tour status, and those finishing sixth through 10th are able to skip all stages of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Qualifying Tournament and move directly to the finals, set for Savannah, Georgia, in early November. The top-60 Fortinet Cup players will all retain their 2023 PGA TOUR Canada playing privileges.

“A lot of things can happen on this golf course,” said Jake Knapp, who enters the final event as the points leader and thus controls his own fate. “It’s going to be one of those weeks again where you really just have to stay patient and hit good golf shots.”

Obviously, there is plenty on the line.

“There are a lot of guys who are fighting not only to get into the top five, or into that No. 1 spot, but also in the top 10, the top 20,” Knapp continued. “So, there’s a lot at stake this week and everyone wants to play well. It’s going to be a high-pressure week.”

Play in the limited, 58-player field begins Thursday and concludes Sunday.

“I think it’s going to be quite the challenge,” said Wil Bateman, who trails Knapp by just 40 points is tied for second with two-time tournament winner Noah Goodwin. Bateman, the Edmonton native agrees with Knapp. “I think staying patient is going to be huge.”

Deer Ridge, he added, requires it.

“There are going to be times out there where there’s some adversity,” Bateman said. “There’s no doubt it’s not a course where you can go out and fire at pins and shoot 25-under par. It’s just not going to be that way.”

Ryan Gerard, one of 13 competitors within 600 points of the lead, currently holding down the fifth position, 249 points behind Knapp, expects the 58 players who qualified this week to “own up to it and go get it.” “These are the best of the guys who separated themselves all year,” he said.

Gerard, though, isn’t thinking too much about any added pressure associated with such a motivated field. “I just want to go play golf and feel everything will take care of itself. But at some point, you do know you have a job next year on the line, moving up and chasing your dream. That’s really cool, and I feel like I put in a lot of effort, a lot of prep work in the last—how many, weeks, months, years?—and I think I’m going to go out there and do what I do best and see how it stacks up at the end of the week.”

The Rundown

DATES: September 15-18, 2022

OFFICIAL NAME: Fortinet Cup Championship

HASHTAGS: #FortinetCup, #FortinetCupChampionship

SCHEDULE: 11th of 11 official events of the 2022 PGA TOUR Canada season

VENUE: Deer Ridge Golf Club

PAR/YARDS: 70 (35-35), 6,584 yards

POINTS LIST: Winner earns 600 points

PURSE MONEY: (Canadian) $225,000 (winner claims Canadian $40,500)

CUT: None

FORTINET CUP: The season-long points chase mirrors the competitive structure of the points-based competitions on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. Through the sponsorship, the Fortinet Cup offers a new $100,000 player bonus pool—with $25,000 to the winner—to the top Fortinet Cup points-winners. The top-five Fortinet Cup points-earners gain membership to the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour, while Korn Ferry Tour benefits are available to those finishing sixth through 10th. In addition, the Fortinet Cup winner will also be exempt into the PGA TOUR’s 2023 RBC Canadian Open.