Costa Mesa’s Jake Knapp earns first PGA TOUR Canada win of season

Jake Knapp shot a very low number over the weekend.

That was more than enough for the Costa Mesa native to win the first PGA TOUR Canada event south of the United States-Canada border.

Knapp finished at 26-under-par for the title Sunday at the CRMC Championship in Brainerd, Minn. He was two strokes better than second-place finisher Wil Bateman of Edmonton, Canada.

“I’d say I played conservatively aggressive today,” Knapp told pgatourcanada.com. “I knew I was hitting it well. So, if there were some holes where it fit me, I was taking it at the pin. But I just stayed patient all day ... I’m somebody that likes to play really aggressive, and I’m not afraid to. Sometimes that can get me into trouble. So, out here I just wanted to make sure I made it kind of easy and not stress myself out as much as possible.”

Knapp finished his final round with six birdies and no bogeys. The former Estancia High and UCLA star, now 28, won his third PGA TOUR Canada event title overall.

He made five eagles in the tournament, which tied a tour record. That included back-to-back eagles to close the second round — a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th hole and a three on the par-5 18th hole.

The victory, Knapp’s first on the tour since 2019, pocketed Knapp $36,000. It also pulled him into second place in the Fortinet Cup standings with two tournaments remaining in the PGA TOUR Canada season.

Bateman leads with 1,031 points, but Knapp is in close second place with 1,014 points. The top five players earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for next year, with $25,000 going to the Fortinet Cup champion.

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