With his fine finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, last week’s tune-up to The Open Championship, Corey Conners moved back to being Canada’s top-ranked male golfer. It’s not all that surprising to see him there, as not only the country’s most consistent performer but one of the game’s steadiest, too.
Conners hasn’t missed a cut yet this season and has three top-10s in his last five weeks on the PGA Tour, including a tie for ninth at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst — which got him just enough points to re-earn a spot on the Olympic team.
The native of Listowel, Ont. finished tied for 10th at The Renaissance Club before heading to Royal Troon, the host of the 152nd Open Championship and the final men’s major of the year. This week marks the fifth Open for Conners, who leads a foursome of Canadians in the field on the Scottish coast.
Despite the near month-long time between majors, Conners told Sportsnet he’s felt “pretty solid” about his game since springtime, particularly at the U.S. Open. He was satisfied with the result there, for a few reasons, but is hungry for more.
“I definitely feel like I still have some momentum going,” Conners said. “It’s a new challenge and we’ll see what happens — but I feel good about the game and those positive thoughts and feels will carry over.”
Conners, Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin, and Mackenzie Hughes make up the Canadian contingent at The Open, with the latter two earning spots via Open Championship Series qualifying (Hadwin finished third at the Memorial Tournament and Hughes finished tied for seventh at the RBC Canadian Open). Hughes has the best result of any Canadian in recent memory at The Open, finishing tied for sixth in 2021 — his Open Championship debut.
Conners has had a mixed bag of results at The Open, finishing tied for 15th in 2021 but going T28-T52 the last two years. Still, he said it’s a “unique” championship and always one that he’s excited to play in, with links golf unlocking creative parts of his golfing brain.
“The golf courses are all new to me so there is a lot of learning about the different aspects of the golf course and trying to build a strategy. I remember always watching The Open Championship as a kid and seeing the firm conditions and different shots the guys were playing so I’ve tried to prepare myself by thinking of those memories and remembering those shots other people have hit,” Conners said.
“There is some creativity that’s involved. And you’ve got different options in different shots. I just want to have fun and enjoy the challenge of it.”
One thing Conners said he felt he did well of at Pinehurst — despite needing that creativity around the greens — was going with his “first instinct” when it came to playing a shot. He dug into his creative mind but picked a shot he felt was going to be the best and stayed committed to that.
“I definitely think I’m good at keeping the ball on the ground, and I did that quite a bit at Pinehurst around the greens, and I definitely think that will be in play at Troon,” Conners said.
With his spot on the Olympic team now confirmed (he and Nick Taylor will be representing Canada in Paris), Conners has now shifted his efforts to making Mike Weir’s Presidents Cup team. At No. 8, he is the highest-ranked Canadian on the International Team’s qualifying list (he’s also the top Canadian in the FedExCup standings), with the top six earning an automatic spot after the BMW Championship next month.
Conners knows this summer has been a busy, demanding schedule, but he’s prioritized his rest with well-timed breaks back home with his growing family, with his wife Malory expecting their second child later this year.
He didn’t get off to the best of starts at the beginning of the year, Conners said, but he’s kept working hard and sticking to the plan that he made at the start of the year and he’s been able to check off a few big boxes already.
Conners’ coach Derek Ingram told Sportsnet that he’s seen lots of solid work from his pupil of late. Conners’ short game has been “very good and so close to great.” He was first in strokes gained: putting in the second round of the Scottish Open.
“He has putted great for two months,” Ingram said. “The final two days (at the Scottish Open) he hit it ‘like Corey Conners’ hits it again — and if he putted a hair better, he wins the tournament.”
The obvious next step for Conners is to get back into contention at a major championship and lean on the momentum from the U.S. Open — and last week at the Scottish Open — to take him to even higher heights.
“I feel like I’m playing really well,” Conners said, “and hopefully can continue the good results and try to get into the winner’s circle before the season’s over.”
TIGER TALES
This week marks the first time since 2019 that Tiger Woods has played in all four major championships in one season. While he made the cut at the Masters, he had early exits at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open, prompting him to ponder how many majors he has left in him.
Alas, The Open Championship may be the one where he could continue to compete for many years (weather dependent) since he doesn’t need to bomb it, the greens are often slower so his touch doesn’t need to be as dialled in, and his links-golf knowledge is higher than anyone else in the game.
As is the case with Woods, however, it all comes back to his body. Woods said in a pre-tournament press conference he’s been working hard in the gym and is now doing things he hasn’t been able to do at any other point in the year.
“Body’s been feeling better to be able to do such things, and it translates on being able to hit the ball better,” Woods said.
CAN RORY BOUNCE BACK AFTER MAJOR HEARTBREAK?
Rory McIlroy seemed to enjoy his time away from golf — going for long walks in Manhattan, for one — after his collapse at the U.S. Open, bogeying three of his final four holes to eventually lose to Bryson DeChambeau by one.
He received texts from Michael Jordan and Rafael Nadal right after his loss, and Tiger Woods said he messaged McIlroy about a week later.
“We’ve all been there as past champions. We all lose,” Woods said he told McIlroy.
McIlroy, to his credit, returned to action at the Genesis Scottish Open and finished tied for fourth. And now he comes to Royal Troon trying to win a major for the first time in a decade. Even if he does get that monkey off his back, however, he knows things will continue to be cyclical.
“I’d love to be able to play the golf to get one over the line, but as soon as I do that, people are going to say, ‘well, when are you going to win your sixth?’” McIlroy said Tuesday. “So, it’s never ending.”
BRYSON, THE BOX OFFICE
Just two golfers who have finished inside the top 10 in each of the three majors so far this season: Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau has quickly turned into must-see TV when it comes to golf. He’s doing things his own way and finally has the platform to be himself.
“I’ve definitely matured a lot. It’s been a growing process for me over the course of time. YouTube has massively helped, I can tell you that, being able to just release the emotions in the way that I know I can,” DeChambeau said.
DeChambeau’s best finish at The Open came in 2022 when he finished tied for eighth. He said he’s embraced links golf now more than ever, is the happiest he’s ever been, and will try to put up another great major result this week.
“It’s a challenge,” DeChambeau said of The Open. “I think that’s what’s so great about links golf and The Open Championship, and what it provides is a different test (to try to) figure out and get an A on.”
IT COMES DOWN TO THIS
The season’s final men’s major championship means we’re left wondering about the could-be’s and the should-be’s for another eight months. Ludvig Aberg is making his Open Championship debut, but that hasn’t stopped him from finishing runner-up in his Masters debut in April or T12 at his U.S. Open debut last month. Collin Morikawa was in the final group at both the Masters and the PGA Championship. Xander Schauffele hasn’t finished outside the top 10 at a major in two years. Brian Harman is looking to become the first golfer to go back-to-back at The Open since Padraig Harrington in 2008-09 — and American golfers have won six of the last seven Open Championships contested at Troon.
This marks the final men’s major of 2024. There are a handful of great potential stories. Here’s hoping we go out with a bang.