AUGUSTA, Ga. – There were a lot of ‘Go Leafs Go’ chants for a Tuesday morning in Georgia. But, as is tradition, when the Canadians get together for what’s become a pretty darn cool annual practice game, hockey fans get into full voice.
This year they had more reason than ever to cheer, as Corey Conners – a long-time Leafs fan – has come into the Masters as the most recent winner on the PGA Tour. And if the last three years are any indication, Conners has gone from sneaky long-shot to one of the full-on favourites at the first major of the year.
The native of Listowel, Ont. won the Valero Texas Open by a shot Sunday, his second PGA Tour victory (both coming at that event) and has notched three top-10 finishes in a row at the Masters. He’s one of only two golfers in the field to have that kind of consistency around Augusta National. Perhaps more importantly, his positive self-talk is peaking at the best of times.
“I think belief is definitely a big part of it. Certainly last week I had belief that I could get it done,” said Conners. “I’m certainly better prepared to be in contention. I learned a lot and learned I can trust myself in those situations.
“It’s obviously a different animal here at the Masters but I feel like, if I continue to play well, hopefully I can get myself into contention on the weekend and just keep that foot down.”
With Conners’ tie for sixth a year ago he became the second Canadian in history to notch three straight top-10 results at the Masters – Stan Leonard was the other from 1958-1960. He continues to put himself in the mix at Augusta National, a golf course he’s getting more and more comfortable with.
“I feel like I've built a good strategy and plan how to attack the golf course over the last few years, and I'll be focusing on most of the same stuff I have the last few years and most of the same stuff I did last week,” said Conners.
The Canadian will be grouped with Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose – major champions, each – for the first two rounds this year. One could argue, given when they’re playing Thursday afternoon, this is a ‘notable’ group. To Conners this matters little (Johnson was formerly sponsored by RBC, like Conners, and they spent plenty of off-course days together) and he's mostly focused on trying to get a late tee-time on the weekend.
For Tuesday, the annual tradition of playing alongside Weir is still something Conners relishes. The group also included Adam Svensson, making his Masters debut, and Mackenzie Hughes, in his fourth appearance.
Weir’s win in 2003 came just as Conners started to peel away from playing on four hockey teams in his native Listowel, including the Triple-A squad in town. Weir’s win (Conners was so nervous he left the room when Weir had a putt on the final hole to make it into a playoff, and only started watching the TV again when he heard his father yelp with excitement) was part of the spark for this generation of Canadian golfers to believe they could do it – including Svensson and Hughes.
Weir’s getting lonely at Augusta National these days. His locker-mate in the Champions Locker Room, Doug Ford, died at age 95 in 2018. Canada’s Green Jacket winner is hoping the guys on the PGA Tour can do more than just get into contention. It’s time to win the big one.
“We have some great talent out there right now. Winning more often and getting yourself in contention more often on the regular Tour prepares you for those bigger moments in major championships. The more guys have success on the regular Tour the more comfortable they’re going to be when they play the majors,” Weir told Sportsnet. “The more often the guys there the more chances they’ll be able to knock one out. I’m pulling for them, for sure.”
Weir won the Masters thanks to his deft short game, and Conners said Weir was a big help Tuesday with some layup angles on the back-nine par fives. Both No. 15 (2022) and No. 13 (this year) have added length and Conners wasn’t sure if he could still go after both those in two shots.
Conners has always been an elite ball-striker, and with Augusta National being a second-shot golf course, it’s no wonder he’s had so much consistent success here. Consistency, hasn’t, however, been the word Conners would choose to describe his season. Just the opposite, actually, as he notched zero top-10 finishes prior to his win Sunday.
“I feel like there has been a lot of good stuff happening, but I haven’t been able to put four good rounds together. I haven’t been able to piece it together each week,” admitted Conners. “I’ve been working really hard and feeling like everything is close. It’s nice that the game has finally clicked the last few weeks, and I’ve taken a lot of confidence in that."
He's preparing to win, according to coach Derek Ingram. Conners believes he can do it. It’s the 20th anniversary of Mike Weir’s Green Jacket triumph. And at a place where Cinderella-type storytelling just makes sense, wouldn’t that be incredible?
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