Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open welcomes star studded field

EIk Ridge Saskatchewan Open begins WATCH: The 2024 Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open begins Thursday with athletes, spectators, and volunteers hoping for good weather.

It’s a little later in the summer this year, but the 2024 Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open has welcomed golfers to the edge of Prince Albert National Park.

“Just a beautiful spot,” said Jimmie Jones, who has made four of seven cuts this season. “It’s always in great shape, and it’s a little different golf than what we play on this tour. Most of the time it’s a little tighter, you feel a little claustrophobic out there. And it’s actually kind of like where I grew up back in Tampa, the course I play, so it reminds me a lot of home.”

This is the first year the PGA Tour Canada and the PGA Tour Latinoamerica have combined into the PGA Tour Americas, so organizers had less weekends to choose from. Plus they wanted to avoid the heavy rains that plagued the 2022 event.

“Obviously the weather’s a little better, so I think we’ve got a good week ahead of us,” said Jones, who was trying out a unique method of fighting off the bugs. “I’ve been trying to show the boys the old dryer sheet in the hat to see if that myth works. I don’t know if it’s caught on yet, but we’ll see.”

The Fortinet Cup standings have Canadian Matthew Anderson atop the leaderboard, and he’s coming into the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open with confidence. But with a combined tour, he knows the competition is even tougher than last year.

“I played on PGA Tour Canada last year, so I do have a bit of reference,” said Anderson. “But just because of the fact that there’s less spots essentially at this level, just makes the fields a bit deeper.”

With two wins on the season coming out of college, Frederik Kjettrup is looking to make a statement this weekend. But he knows it’s crucial to keep the ball in the fairway when playing a course with so many trees.

“Definitely, you’ve got to keep it in the fairway,” said Kjettrup of Aabybro, Denmark. “Got to keep it in between the trees at least, because if you’re in the trees, it’s a lost ball or you’re chipping out sideways if you’re lucky.”

2024 Master’s and 2024 U.S. Open Low Amateur Neal Shipley is coming into this weekend fresh after some much-needed rest. He’s adjusting to all the extra attention that comes with the professional tour and playing a long stretch of consecutive events.

“I did nine in a row, and I took about a week and a half off,” said Shipley. “This is week one, and I’m feeling really refreshed. But when we are home, there’s a lot to do off the golf course.”

Coming into the tournament with some extra eyes on him, Shipley says it doesn’t shake his rhythm.

“I don't necessarily feel more pressure because of what I've done in the past,” he said. “More so just gives me confidence that I can go out here and compete well. And at the end of the day, if I play poorly here, that doesn't change anything that I did in the past.”

The Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open runs from Thursday to Sunday. The 2023 champion was John Pak.