Knapp holds off Bateman to win CRMC Championship
Published
BRAINERD, Minnesota—PGA Tour Canada’s first official event in the United States proved to be a bit of a border battle. However, in the end, the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens was settled on the course at Cragun’s Legacy Courses.
Jake Knapp of Costa Mesa, California, outlasted Wil Bateman of Edmonton, Alberta, for the tournament title Sunday. In picking up his third career PGA TOUR Canada title, Knapp finished at 26-under. Bateman ended up two shots back after a back-and-forth fight for control of the lead.
“I’d say I played conservatively aggressive today,” Knapp said. “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.”
Knapp finished with six birdies in a round free of bogeys. It was a stellar run of golf for Knapp, who played his final 49 holes without a bogey. It was all good enough to fend off a serious challenge by Bateman.
“I’m somebody that likes to play really aggressive, and I’m not afraid to,” Knapp explained. “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.”
Driving well off the tee, the former UCLA standout added, gave him a ton of chances.
Bateman, meanwhile, quickly stormed into serious contention with birdies on six of the first seven holes. He shot an 8-under 62, with nine birdies on the final day, briefly taking the lead on No. 7. Knapp, who was playing in the group behind Bateman, pulled even with a birdie on the same hole.
Knapp took the lead back on No. 10 before Bateman birdied the 12th hole to knot up things again. Down the stretch, though, Knapp secured an advantage for good. Birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 got things started before he sealed the deal with another birdie the 18th. A bogey on the 17th hole dashed Bateman’s hopes. He birdied Nos. 16 and 18, scaring the hole with his eagle chip at the last. He said the round was both fun and emotional.
“Jake played really well all week. I think he made just two bogeys all week,” Bateman said. “He deserved it. Solo second is pretty good.”
As a consolation, Bateman retained his hold on the No. 1 spot in the Fortinet Cup standings. He’s 17 points ahead of the new No. 2 player, Knapp. Knapp earned 500 points and pocketed $36,000.
Knapp knew the rain softened the course and made it play much easier than anticipated. “It’s kind of a bummer we got so much rain, as it changed the course,” Knapp said. “It took a low number to win. A lot of the guys played very well this week to get to those kinds of scores.”
Knapp and Bateman were followed by five players at 22-under. In the group tied for third was Conner Godsey, Ryan Gerard, Joe Highsmith, Trent Phillips and Thomas Walsh. They finished one stroke ahead of eighth-place finishers Myles Creighton, Guillaume Fanonnel and Alexander Herrmann.