National Post (National Edition)
Conners makes some Open noise with clutch eagle
Canadian gives his second round a jolly good jolt
Much of the action at the Open Championship happens while much of Canada sleeps.
Corey Conners, the ever-polite Canadian, waited until fans back home had a chance to wake up before producing some magic at Royal St George's during his second round at the Open Championship.
Teeing off at 8:25 a.m. local time in England, Conners was 1-over par through the first 13 holes of his second round, and had fallen to 1-under for the tournament after shooting a 2-under 68 on Thursday. His fortunes changed at the par-5 14th hole, as most members of his hometown Listowel Golf Club were likely still brewing their coffee to start the day in Ontario.
After hitting a 3-wood from the tee, Conners found himself in the fairway with a chance to reach the green in two shots for an eagle opportunity.
“I had 247 (yards) to the front, 260 to the hole, a little bit of helping wind off the right,” Conners said after his round. “It was a perfect hybrid distance for me. It was going to land just short of the green and hop up. Hit a really solid shot. Landed a few yards short of the green, rolled up to about nine feet kind of pin high left of it and had a pretty straight putt inside left and just started breaking at the end and fell in.”
Conners followed up the eagle at hole No. 14 with a birdie at the par-3 16th to finish the day with his second consecutive 2-under 68. The 29-year-old will head into the weekend at the season's last major at 4-under in a large group tied for 17th.
After finishing in the top 10 in the past two major championships, Conners was in danger of falling out of touch with the leaders on Friday before the eagle at the 14th. One of his playing partners on Friday was Collin Morikawa, who scorched the famous seaside links course with a 6-under 64 on Friday to get to 9-under and take the lead during the morning wave before being passed in the afternoon by Louis Oosthuizen, who leads at 11-under.
“Collin played amazing golf. Really hitting it really well, so kind of disappointed with some of the shots I hit, (but) I knew you can't force it out here,” Conners said. “I Just tried to be aggressive but not silly and hit solid shots, and, yeah, it was impressive to watch. He played well. Hopefully I can chase him down the next few days.”
Conners doesn't have much links golf experience but his elite ball-striking is a good match for traditional links conditions, and his analytical mind pairs nicely with an uncomfortable St George's course that demands as much strategy as any on the Open Championship rota.
“Fortunately haven't got myself in too many strange places yet,” Conners said of his first two rounds. “But I really like links golf with my limited experience, and it's always something I thought I would be well suited for. It's definitely a fun change and a fun challenge for me this week.”
Teeing off in the afternoon was Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and he followed his opening round 66 with a 1-under 69 to be the top Canadian on the leaderboard. The 30-year-old heads to the weekend tied for 12th at 5-under.
“I watched a lot this morning, I watched a fair bit of Corey's round,” Hughes said after his round. “I just wanted to see how the course was playing and some of the pins, so that was helpful, and I learned a little bit watching that.”
Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 1-under 69 on Friday to finish at 4-over par after 36 holes and miss the cut. Toronto's Richard T. Lee, also finished at 4-over and won't play the weekend.
With his second-round scorecard signed by lunchtime on Friday, Conners had a wide-open sunny afternoon in Sandwich, Kent, on the southeast coast of England. Unfortunately, with strict protocols because of the pandemic there isn't much fun to be had for golfers when not on the course. Players are allowed four-person bubbles and Conners is staying in a house with wife Malory, his caddy Danny Sahl and coach Derek Ingram.
“Playing some cards in the evening, I'm almost done my second book, a little bit of reading; yeah, just hanging out,” Conners said. “It's unusual not being able to really do anything, kind of confined to our accommodation and the golf course, but making the most of it. We're having a good time. I like to sleep a lot as well, so that takes up a good chunk of my days.”