Dream season for Ponder who has yet to miss a cut on PGA Tour Americas

He may not be a household name to average golf fans just yet, but that’s likely about to change rather quickly.

And local lovers of the sport might want to hurry down to Elmhurst this week to catch a glimpse of Thomas Ponder before he’s off to play where the grass is even greener. Or, at the very least, where the paycheques are much bigger.

Ponder enters this year’s Manitoba Open atop the PGA Tour Americas points list and is a virtual lock to, at the very least, earn promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour for 2027, which is awarded to the top 10 finishers.

A jump directly to the PGA Tour — the way recent Manitoba Open winners such as Hayden Springer and Johnny Keefer, and other competitors such as Neal Shipley and Michael Brennan, have made — wouldn’t be a huge surprise, either.

Consider the following: Ponder has played in all 10 tournaments to date and is a combined 159-under par in those 40 competitive rounds. No, that is not a typo.

His worst finish came in the season opener in Brazil — a tie for 18th. That was followed by a tie for sixth, a tie for 10th, a solo third, a solo fourth, a tie for ninth, a tie for 17th, his first professional victory, a solo third and a tie for third.

Add it all up and the 25-year-old from Alabama is having a dream season, pocketing more than US$119,000 in winnings with five events left on the calendar. He’s moved up to 251st in the world rankings — 132 spots higher than anyone else on the tour — and will have plenty of eyes on him when action gets underway Thursday.

“Everything’s just clicking,” Ponder told the Free Press on Tuesday evening.

“I’m doing everything well, and I think I’ve put a little more emphasis on the mental side of the game this year. You know, just being prepared, doing all the little things at the beginning of the week that will lead to me being in contention on Sunday afternoon. Just stacking good finishes on top of each other and believing in myself.”

The biggest breakthrough came last month in New Brunswick, when he finished the 72-hole event at 28-under par, which was three shots better than his closest competitor. Incredibly, Ponder bogeyed his first two holes of the opening round.

“I kind of had to make a choice there. Which way to go. And I kind of settled down,” said Ponder.

That’s an understatement. He went 10-under over the remaining 16 holes, including an albatross and an eagle.

“That definitely added to the confidence and was probably one of the most complete weeks of golf that I’ve played. I know it’s sounds very simple to say, but I just went out and did it. It was me relying on a lot of the hard work I put in during the off-season,” he said.

Ponder was a decorated amateur golfer who turned plenty of heads while attending the University of Alabama, where he majored in psychology and made the honour roll four straight years.

He turned pro in 2024 upon graduation and got his PGA Tour Americas card that season, making the cut in six of 10 tournaments. His best finish was a tie for fourth, and he finished 36th overall in the rankings. Ponder also played in his first Manitoba Open that summer, finishing tied for 16th at Southwood.

It was much of the same see-saw play in 2025, when Ponder played in 16 tournaments and made the cut in eight. One of the misses came at the rain-shortened Manitoba Open, which was held at Breezy Bend. His top finish came one week later, a solo third down in Minnesota.

It’s been a completely different story this year, with Ponder being consistently excellent.

He got his first look at Elmhurst during a practice round Tuesday afternoon and believes it sets up well for his surging golf game. For those curious, Ponder is set to hit his first shot Thursday at 1:45 p.m., playing in a group with Ontario’s Peyton Callens and Denmark’s Jonathan Nielsen.

He’s trying not to get ahead of himself and think too far into the future, even if it’s staring him right in the face.

“I have to remind myself that nothing from here on out really changes in my preparation and what I have to do during the week. Once Thursday comes it’s business as usual,” said Ponder.

A total of 156 players are competing for CDN$225,000 in prize money at the Manitoba Open, which is in year two of a five-year rotation through various courses. This marks the first time it has been at Elmhurst since 1999. Round one begins Thursday at 7 a.m., with play concluding late Sunday afternoon.

The field includes three Manitobans — amateur champion Rory Neill, sponsor’s exemption Ryan McMillan and Monday qualifier Braxton Kuntz — and a total of 16 Canadians.

Two of them have already tasted victory this season.

Etienne Papineau is fifth on the 2026 points list and fresh off a dramatic playoff victory at the Osprey Valley Open last month. Fellow Quebecer Joey Savoie is seventh, thanks in large part to capturing the KIA Open de Ecuador in May. They were the first professional victories for both men.

Ponder is followed on the points list by fellow Americans Corey Pereira, Patrick Flavin and Jack Lundin. All but Lundin have won tournaments this year. Another American winner, Drew Doyle, sits between Papineau and Savoie in sixth, while Patrick Sheehan, Dawson Armstrong and Riley Lewis of the U.S. round out the top 10.

Other Canadians on the list include Brady McKinlay (46th), Piercen Hunt (55th), Callens (70th), Hunter Thomson (110th), Brendan MacDougall (118th), Thomas Giroux (124th), Laurent Desmarchais (132nd), Max Sekulic (140th), Johnny Travale (142nd), Noah Steele (148th) and Ashton McCulloch (154th).

“The quality of play is definitely high this year on tour,” said Ponder.

“The game we play here really does translate well to the highest level on the PGA Tour. For me, it’s just about getting out here, playing well, getting comfortable and learning how to win. I think that’s been the biggest thing.”

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