Corey Conners finishes 66-66 at The Open, shares details of U.S. Open injury
Article content
'That's brilliant though, I love doing that,' the standard bearer said as he collected an autographed ball from Conners after the round. 'When it's red numbers, it's fine.'
Article content
Article content
Article content
Conners would agree, and it was plenty of red numbers for the Listowel, Ont. native over the past two days at the Open Championship as he began Saturday right on the one-over par cutline and finished it at nine-under par and inside the top 10.
Article content
In all his years and across all his rounds, Conners couldn't remember a stretch where he hit the ball any better than he did over the last two days at Royal Portrush.
Article content
And that's saying something. The Canadian golfer with a reputation as one of the world's finest ball-strikers could only recall two shots he didn't like over the final 36 holes at the season's last major, where he shot 66-66 to vault up the leaderboard.
Article content
'I've went through stretches where I've struck the ball really well in my career, but…' he said before pausing slightly. 'This was good.'
Article content
The two shots in question were his approach shot on the 18th hole on Saturday. (Where he rolled in a 42-footer for birdie.) And his drive into a fairway bunker on the ninth hole on Sunday (Where he saved par with a chip and a putt.)
Article content
Article content
'The last couple days it felt like I was in great control of the ball, especially the back nine today,' he said. 'I was doing everything really well. It was a solid round I can draw on in the future.'
Article content
Article content
In April, the 33-year-old notched his fourth top-10 at the Masters and finished T8. In May, he grabbed his third top-20 at the PGA Championship and finished T19. June wasn't great as Conners was forced to withdraw from the U.S. Open after injuring his wrist in one of Oakmont's gnarly bunkers.
Article content
'I felt like my game was great at all the major championships, really,' he said. 'Disappointing at the U.S. Open having to pull out, and struggling with the wrist at the end of the day Saturday.'
Article content
It was a disappointing result, but it could have been much worse. The golfer escaped major injury, but revealed a few more details on Sunday. Conners said he didn't touch a golf club for more than two weeks, and couldn't even chip or putt.
Article content
'Not really, it was still a little bit uncomfortable,' he said.
Article content
To avoid going into golf withdrawal, he got creative at home.
Article content
'I had a club in my hand once in a while, was chipping around left-handed in the backyard,' he said. 'It was the longest I've not touched a club probably in my life, especially in the summertime. I'm happy that the game didn't leave me when I came back.'
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
8 hours ago
- National Post
Wimbledon could triple tournament size after judge's ruling
LONDON — Wimbledon's expansion plans, which would almost triple the size of the tennis tournament grounds, received a boost Monday when a judge dismissed a campaign group's legal challenge. Article content The Save Wimbledon Park group took legal action against the Greater London Authority's decision to grant planning permission last year. Article content Article content Aside from concerns about the environment and overall scale, opponents argued that the adjacent property that was a golf course when the All England Club bought it in 2018 is subject to restrictions that favor preservation of open spaces for the public. Article content Wimbledon's plan includes adding an 8,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof and 38 other grass courts that would allow the All England Club to move its qualifying event on-site to boost attendance and revenue. Article content 'In short, the defendant's decision on the relevance of deliverability, applying to both the statutory trust and the restrictive covenants, was a planning judgment rationally exercised and having regard to appropriate and relevant factors,' judge Justice Saini said. Article content Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament that holds its qualifying rounds at a completely separate location. There are also too few practice courts in the current setup, requiring some of the world's best players to share courts. Article content 'We are delighted that Mr. Justice Saini has dismissed the challenge to the GLA's decision to grant planning permission for our plans to transform the former Wimbledon Park golf course,' said Deborah Jevans, chair of the All England Club. Article content 'It is clear that we have a robust planning permission that enables us to create a permanent home for the Wimbledon qualifying competition as well as delivering 27 acres of beautiful new park land for local people, providing public access to land that has been a private golf course for over 100 years,' Jevans added. Article content
Globe and Mail
9 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Is Scottie Scheffler the next Tiger Woods? British Open champion calls comparisons ‘a bit silly'
Another comparison between Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler surfaced during the final round of the British Open. This one wasn't about numbers or trophies, but a fist pump. And it was for par. Scheffler needed only one hour to expand his four-shot lead to seven shots with a steady diet of fairways and greens at Royal Portrush on Sunday, along with three birdie putts. But he missed his tee shot on the par-3 sixth and his chip was weak, leaving him a 15-foot par putt. Scheffler fiercely pumped his fist when it dropped, evoking memories of Woods and his 15-shot win at Pebble Beach in the 2000 U.S. Open. Woods had a 12-foot par putt on the 16th hole of that final round, and it was the most emotion he showed all day when he made it. He wanted a clean card and wound up going his final 26 holes bogey-free. Woods was so utterly dominant that his only competition came from himself. That's how it felt with Scheffler when he won the claret jug for the third leg of the career Grand Slam. Cathal Kelly: Scottie Scheffler wins the British Open. Is it just a great run or is he destined to be an all-timer? Scheffler went 32 holes without a bogey until he took two shots to get out of a fairway bunker on No. 8 and made double bogey. What stood out to Scheffler in his four-shot victory was the lack of bogeys, the DNA of his dominance. 'To only have one double – really one over-par hole in the last 36 holes of a major championship – that's how you're able to win these tournaments,' he said. He won the British Open by four shots. He won the PGA Championship in May by five shots. He won by four in the 2024 Masters. Scheffler was five shots ahead on the final hole in his first Masters win in 2022 when he four-putted while simply trying to finish. There are plenty of numbers to consider, starting with his position at No. 1 in the world. No one has held it longer since Woods. Scheffler and Woods are the only players in the last 50 years to win two majors in the same year by at least four shots. Researchers with time on their hands at the PGA Tour discovered that Scheffler and Woods each went 1,197 days between winning their first and fourth majors. Enough of the comparisons, Scheffler said. 'I still think they're a bit silly,' he said. 'Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf.' For majors alone, a better comparison would be with Rory McIlroy. He also won four majors in three years, including two of them in 2014. McIlroy won a U.S. Open and a PGA Championship by eight shots, the latter a record margin. And then he went 11 years without a major. Greatness in golf is also about longevity. Cathal Kelly: The pressure lifted, McIlroy can ease into back nine of his career Scheffler won for the fourth time this year and now has 20 victories worldwide. He has won 11 straight times with the 54-hole lead. The 29 year old from Texas was introduced as champion golfer of the year, a title the R&A has used for more than a century. Scheffler at this rate might be champion golfer of his generation. And to think he was slowed at the start of the year recovering from a puncture wound on his right hand that he got while trying to cut ravioli with a wine glass. The year's top highlight still might be McIlroy winning the Masters amid tense drama to finally complete the Grand Slam. That was his third win of the season, following The Players Championship and Pebble Beach. McIlroy, however, sounded almost dismissive about them Sunday evening. 'I also had the three wins when Scottie wasn't quite on his game,' he said. Also driving the comparisons to Woods are high praise from just about everyone who has had to face Scheffler since that first win in 2022. 'He is the bar that we're all trying to get to,' McIlroy said. 'I don't think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here's Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance,' Xander Schauffele said. 'You can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now.' Any hesitation about comparisons – besides the 15-4 tally in majors, as Scheffler is quick to point out – is their style of play. Woods was as dynamic as he was relentless, especially with recovery shots. Scheffler doesn't have that many because he's rarely out of position. Woods was groomed for stardom when he appeared on The Mike Douglas Show at age 2. Scheffler never cared about anything other than playing golf and getting better at it. 'He doesn't care to be a superstar. He's not transcending the game like Tiger did. He's not bringing it to a non-golf audience necessarily,' Jordan Spieth said. 'He doesn't want to go do the stuff that a lot of us go do, corporately, anything like that.' He works. He competes. He wins. That's what Woods did, and that's what matters to Scheffler. 'I don't focus on that kind of stuff,' Scheffler said of the comparisons. 'That's not what motivates me. I'm not motivated by winning championships. I don't look at the beginning of the year and just say, 'I want to win X amount of tournaments.' I don't do that. 'When I wake up to practice, what motivates me is getting to live out my dream,' he said. 'I get to play professional golf, and I feel like I'm called to do it to the best of my ability.'
National Post
10 hours ago
- National Post
Wyndham Clark feels 'terrible' for US Open incident after Oakmont ban
PORTRUSH — Wyndham Clark said on Sunday he 'feels' terrible and hopes he will be able to play at Oakmont Country Club again after he was banned from the course for causing damage in the locker room during last month's US Open. Article content The American, who won the 2023 US Open, damaged his locker after missing the cut at the major championship. Article content A letter from Oakmont president John Lynch earlier this week, obtained by US media, to club members said Clark 'will no longer be permitted on OCC property'. Article content Clark, who also sparked controversy after smashing his driver during this year's PGA Championship, apologised after returning to form by finishing tied-fourth at the British Open. Article content 'Obviously I feel terrible with what happened,' he told reporters at Royal Portrush. Article content 'I'm doing anything I can to try to remedy the situation. Article content 'I'm just trying to get past it. I want the best for Oakmont, the USGA and myself. Like I said, I'm very sorry for what I did and feel terrible, and hopefully in a few months we're past this, and it's something of the past.' Article content Oakmont said for Clark's ban to be lifted he would have to fulfil 'a number of specific conditions'. Article content Those requirements include a full repayment for damages, a 'meaningful contribution' to a charity of the board's choice and completion of counselling and/or anger management sessions. Article content The US Open will next be played at Oakmont in 2033, when Clark will still have an exemption due to his title win two years ago. Article content 'I did something awful, and I'm really sorry for it,' added the 31-year-old. Article content Article content 'Hopefully they have it in their heart to forgive me, and maybe in the future I'll be able to play there.' Article content During the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, Clark threw his driver into a wall behind the tee box after an errant shot, finishing his round without it. Article content 'I'm not going to justify what I did in those two things,' he said. Article content 'But yes, it is very demanding. It's an individual sport. Everyone is always watching you and it's always on you. Article content 'Yeah, sometimes it gets the best of you. All of us have had moments that we're not proud of, and those two I'm definitely not proud of. So it is difficult.'
