| Keefer, Kjettrup, Anderson Secure Spots in “The 10,”
Earn Korn Ferry Tour Status Entering PGA TOUR Americas Season Finale
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – Ten players will take a significant step forward on their path to the PGA TOUR this week as the inaugural season of PGA TOUR Americas concludes and the top 10 players in the season-long Fortinet Cup standings will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2025. With one tournament remaining on the PGA TOUR Americas 16-event schedule, the top three players in the Fortinet Cup have mathematically assured themselves a spot in “The 10” come Sunday evening: No. 1 John Keefer (United States), No. 2 Frederik Kjettrup (Denmark) and No. 3 Matthew Anderson (Canada).
That leaves seven Korn Ferry Tour cards still up grabs as players in the top 120 of the Fortinet Cup compete in this week’s season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship, September 5-8, at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. The stakes are higher and so is the chance of volatility, as the 72-hole season finale will offer 600 points to the winner – compared to 500 points in the regular season – and the field will be cut to the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes. Conner Godsey currently holds the 10th and final position in “The 10” with 749 points, just 19 points ahead of 11th-ranked Ian Holt.
By finishing in “The 10”, players will secure two opportunities to earn a PGA TOUR card – first, in December at the Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry; and next season as members of the Korn Ferry Tour (No. 1 is exempt from reshuffles, Nos. 2-10 are subject to the third reshuffle). A player’s finish in “The 10” also determines his share of the $100,000 bonus pool, courtesy of Fortinet, with the No. 1 player earning $25,000.
Beyond “The 10”, players finishing 11th-25th in the final Fortinet Cup standings will be exempt into Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, while PGA TOUR Americas members finishing 26th and beyond will be exempt into First Stage. Additionally, players finishing 11th-80th in the Fortinet Cup will be exempt for Segment I of the 2025 PGA TOUR Americas season.
MATHEMATICALLY ASSURED TO FINISH IN “THE 10”
1. John Keefer, United States In nine starts since turning pro in June, Keefer has posted eight top-six finishes, including four runner-ups and a victory at the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open. The 23-year-old from San Antonio leads PGA TOUR Americas with a 65.58 scoring average, and he has ascended to No. 240 in the OWGR after starting the summer unranked. Keefer closed his collegiate career at Baylor with a T11 finish at the NCAA Championship, which moved him up four spots to No. 25 in PGA TOUR University, the last position to earn membership on PGA TOUR Americas this season.
2. Frederik Kjettrup, Denmark Kjettrup posted his third win of the season last week at the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens, and with that he secured Korn Ferry Tour exempt membership for 2025 via the Three-Victory Promotion. His first two wins came in his first two starts on PGA TOUR Americas – The Beachlands Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist and the ATB Classic – and at No. 219, Kjettrup is the highest-ranked PGA TOUR Americas member in the OWGR. The Denmark native was a three-time All-American at Florida State and finished No. 8 in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2024, which granted him exempt PGA TOUR Americas membership and conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership this summer.
3. Matthew Anderson, Canada In his second season as a professional, Anderson broke through with his first-career victory in April at the 69th ECP Brazil Open at the Rio Olympic Golf Course. He has been among the top three in the Fortinet Cup each week since that win, including eight weeks at No. 1, and he is second on Tour with six top-10 finishes. A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Anderson won the 2019 Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship and joined the Golf Canada team in 2021-22, and he was exempt for PGA TOUR Americas Segment I by virtue of finishing 50th in the 2023 Fortinet Cup on PGA TOUR Canada.
Entering Fortinet Cup Championship
*Earned fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2025 via Three-Victory Promotion
About PGA TOUR Americas PGA TOUR Americas is an international tour that provides professional golfers with competitive opportunities and prepares them to advance their careers on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR. The 2024 schedule consists of 16 events – six in Latin America and 10 in North America – and the inaugural season culminates in September with the Fortinet Cup Championship, where the top 10 players on the season-long points list will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership the following season.
Follow PGA TOUR Americas on X (@PGATOURAmericas, @PGATAmericasESP), Instagram (@pgatouramericas, @pgatouramericasesp), and online in English or Spanish. |
Frederik Kjettrup WINS the 2024 CRMC Championship
CRMC Championship presented by Gertens
Cragun’s Legacy Courses | Brainerd, Minnesota | August 29-September 1, 2024
Final-Round Notes – September 1, 2024
PGA TOUR Americas 2024 Season: 15th of 16 events
- North America Swing: 9th of 10 events
Fortinet Cup Points: 500 (winner)
Purse: $225,000 ($40,500 winner)
| Pos. | Player | Score | Fortinet Cup |
| 1 | Frederik Kjettrup (Denmark) | 62-63-65-66 – 256 (-24) | 2nd |
| 2 | Bryce Lewis (United States) | 67-66-64-61 – 258 (-22) | 26th |
| 3 | Neal Shipley (United States) | 63-67-64-68 – 262 (-18) | 18th |
| T4 | Thomas Ponder (United States) | 70-63-68-63 – 264 (-16) | 41st |
| T4 | John Keefer (United States) | 66-67-67-64 – 264 (-16) | 1st |
| T6 | Three Players Tied | 265 (-15) |
BRAINERD, Minnesota – 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, Bryce Lewis took a one-shot lead after carding seven birdies and an eagle to total 9-under thru 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 (1st/-24)
Age: 24
Birthplace: Aabybro, Denmark
Residence: Tallahassee, Florida
College: Florida State University
Fortinet Cup: 2nd
- With the win, 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; 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
- 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 nine 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; R4 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 (1st/-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 (2nd/-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
Quick Links
- English: Tee Times | Leaderboard | Fortinet Cup
- Spanish: Tee Times | Leaderboard | Fortinet Cup
- PGATOURMedia.com
Media Contacts
- Taylor Caradonna, TaylorCaradonna@pgatourhq.com, 561-703-0910
About PGA TOUR Americas
PGA TOUR Americas is an international tour that provides professional golfers with competitive opportunities and prepares them to advance their careers on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR. The 2024 schedule consists of 16 events – six in Latin America and 10 in North America – and the inaugural season culminates in September with the Fortinet Cup Championship, where the top-10 players on the season-long points list will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership the following season.
Follow PGA TOUR Americas on X (@PGATOURAmericas, @PGATAmericasESP), Instagram (@pgatouramericas, @pgatouramericasesp), and online in English or Spanish.
CRMC Third Round Updates
CRMC Championship presented by Gertens
Cragun’s Legacy Courses | Brainerd, Minnesota | August 29-September 1, 2024
Third-Round Notes – August 31, 2024
PGA TOUR Americas 2024 Season: 15th of 16 events
- North America Swing: 9th of 10 events
Fortinet Cup Points: 500 (winner)
Purse: $225,000 ($40,500 winner)
| Pos. | Player | Score |
| 1 | Frederik Kjettrup (Denmark) | 62-63-65 – 190 (-20) |
| 2 | Neal Shipley (United States) | 63-67-64 – 194 (-16) |
| 3 | Joey Vrzich (United States) | 67-63-65 – 195 (-15) |
| T4 | Bryce Lewis (United States) | 67-66-64 – 197 (-13) |
| T4 | Petr Hruby (Czechia) | 68-66-63 – 197 (-13) |
| T6 | Four Players Tied | 199 (-11) |
BRAINERD, Minnesota – Two-time PGA TOUR Americas winner Frederik Kjettrup maintains a four-stroke lead heading into the final round of the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens after carding a 5-under 65 on Saturday. The Masters and U.S. Open low-amateur Neal Shipley is in solo second following a second-round 6-under 64. Joey Vrzich trails Shipley by one stroke with a 15-under tournament total heading into Sunday’s final round at Cragun’s Legacy Courses.
Occupying the first and second positions at the top of the leaderboard are two recent college graduates who are well-versed with one another far beyond their play as rookies on PGA TOUR Americas this season. Florida State alum Kjettrup and Ohio State alum Shipley were both competitive players at their respective colleges, and crossed paths with one another at multiple collegiate tournaments.
Kjettrup’s success came early as the Denmark native garnered three collegiate victories and claimed two professional victories within his first month out of college. Shipley’s accomplishments came in a different fashion as the 2023 U.S. Amateur runner-up made seven starts on TOUR this year after earning low-amateur honors at The Masters Tournament and the U.S. Open. His best showing came at the ISCO Championship where he finished tied for sixth.
Saturday’s third round proved to be an initial test for the duo as they will be paired together once again for Sunday’s final round. Kjettrup began the day with a five-stroke lead over Shipley, but ultimately made the turn tied with the Pennsylvania native after Shipley posted a 5-under 30 on the front-nine contested to Kjettrup’s even-par 35. The back-nine proved to be momentous for Kjettrup as he went bogey-free and carded five birdies to return to his four-stroke lead over second place. Kjettrup used the back-nine to his advantage for the third consecutive round as he is a combined 14-under par and bogey-free on Nos. 10-18.
Down by four strokes heading into Sunday’s final round, Shipley spoke highly of his competition and the thrill of going head-to-head as professionals. “Freddie is a great player. He has had a great season out here, and I think he is looking for his third win, so he knows how to get it done,” said Shipley. “We are going to have to go out there and chase him down because he’s probably not going to give it to us tomorrow. I’m excited, it should be a really fun day.”
Kjettrup will look to claim his third victory of the season this week and earn the Three-Victory Promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour. By virtue of three wins in a singular season, Kjettrup would automatically become an exempt member on the Korn Ferry Tour for the rest of the 2024 season and for the following season in 2025. The 24-year-old would be the first player to achieve this promotion since the inception of the Three-Victory Promotion in 2020 for the International Tours (formerly PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, which was combined in 2024 to form PGA TOUR Americas).
Final-round tee times are set to begin at 8:05 a.m. CT and will run until 1:15 p.m. CT in twosomes off the No. 1 tee. Kjettrup and Shipley will be paired together for the final grouping of the day.
About Frederik Kjettrup (1st/-20)
Age: 24
Birthplace: Aabybro, Denmark
Residence: Tallahassee, Florida
College: Florida State University
Fortinet Cup (start of week): 3rd
- A back-to-back, two-time PGA TOUR Americas winner; won in his second start as a professional and in his PGA TOUR Americas debut at The Beachlands Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist, and followed this performance with his second victory at the ATB Classic
- 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 nine 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; R3 average: 69.16
Weather: Sunny with a high of 82. Wind from the southwest at 4-16 mph with gusts up to 32 mph.
- Second-round play resumed at 7:45 a.m. CT Saturday morning after being suspended due to darkness Friday evening; the third round began at 12:05 p.m. CT off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees
- Three PGA TOUR University alumni are in the top-five: Frederik Kjettrup (1st/-20), Bryce Lewis (T4-13), Petr Hruby (T4/-13)
- Two-time PGA TOUR Americas winner Frederik Kjettrup (1st/-20) holds a four-stroke lead over The Masters and U.S. Open low-amateur Neal Shipley
- Kjettrup holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the third time this season; has resulted in a win the last two instances (The Beachlands Victoria Open, ATB Classic)
- Rodolfo Cazaubon (T6/-11) enters the final round as the low Latin following a third-round 6-under 64
- Sixty-two players made the cut in 3-under 137
- Petr Hruby (T4/-13) posted the low round of the day in 7-under 63
- Team Canada members Stuart Macdonald (T17/-8) and Matthew Anderson (T21/-7) are the two Canadians inside the top-25
- Caleb VanArragon (T10/-10) advanced as the only Monday Qualifier to make the cut
- The two amateurs in the field, Carson Herron (T15/-9) and Ben Warian (T51/-2), made the cut
- Hole No. 15 – the 234-yard par 3 – is the most challenging hole at Cragun’s Legacy Courses; averaging a +.380
Quick Links
- English: Tee Times | Leaderboard | Fortinet Cup
- Spanish: Tee Times | Leaderboard | Fortinet Cup
- PGATOURMedia.com
Media Contacts
- Taylor Caradonna, TaylorCaradonna@pgatourhq.com, 561-703-0910
About PGA TOUR Americas
PGA TOUR Americas is an international tour that provides professional golfers with competitive opportunities and prepares them to advance their careers on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR. The 2024 schedule consists of 16 events – six in Latin America and 10 in North America – and the inaugural season culminates in September with the Fortinet Cup Championship, where the top-10 players on the season-long points list will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership the following season.
