Canadian Corey Conners wins in Texas, earns invitation to Masters

Up until last year, Mike Weir shared a spot in the champions’ locker room at Augusta National with 1957 winner Doug Ford. Ford passed away in May 2018, and now Weir is alone.

And up until Sunday night, there wasn’t even another Canadian in the Masters field next week.

Enter Corey Conners.

Conners, of Listowel, Ont., captured the Valero Texas Open by two shots Sunday for his first PGA Tour win. The victory comes with a plethora of opportunities including a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a US$1.3-million payday, which is the most beneficial career-wise. But the very last Masters invitation is the most thrilling.

Ask those closest to Conners and you’ll quickly realize a win on the PGA Tour was an issue of “when” and not “if.”

Golf Canada National Team head coach Derek Ingram told Sportsnet he believes Conners is a Jim Furyk/Matt Kuchar-type player who will be a consistent winner on the PGA Tour for more than a decade.

“He’s just that consistent, smart, and committed,” said Ingram. “He is getting more and more comfortable on the PGA Tour, and as this continues … watch out. He is going to be in this position more and more.”

The 27-year-old Conners wasn’t even in the Texas Open field to start the week.

Given his standing on the PGA Tour’s season-long FedEx Cup race last year, he doesn’t have full status for 2019. Conners had to enter an open qualifier on Monday to try and earn one of four final spots.

He tied for third in the qualifier and won a 6-for-1 playoff to get into the field. Two of the three other qualifiers missed the cut, and one finished next-to-last.

Conners became just the fifth Monday Qualifier ever on the PGA Tour to go on to win a title and the first since 2010. Fellow Canadian Brooke Henderson is one of two Monday Qualifiers on the LPGA Tour to do it.

Despite a torrid start Sunday where Conners make birdies on four of his first five holes, he struggled in the middle of his round making four-straight bogeys. But his routine and demeanour never changed. He made six birdies on the back nine to finish with a 6-under 66.

Back at Conners’ home club, the semi-private Listowel Golf Club (Listowel is about two hours northwest of Toronto), the membership didn’t get together in person to watch, but head golf professional Brenden Parsons was at the hub of every text, tweet, and call.

“Panic has set it,” he admitted to Sportsnet after Conners made his fourth bogey of the day. That came about 45 minutes after he said four members texted him saying they were all starting to “freak out,” with Air Canada on the other line, destination Augusta, Ga.

But when Parsons realized the win was official, he was crying tears of joy and said there were roars coming from Conners’s hometown.

Conners worked in the pro shop in Listowel for a few years and even moonlighted one afternoon – in full PGA Tour-gear – when his sister was off sick. He remains a popular figure in town, at the golf course, and across Canada.

Everyone at the club, according to Parsons, raves about his ball striking (and with reason, he’s fourth on the PGA Tour in Greens in Regulation percentage this year). His putting is the lone part of the game Conners struggles with — ranking 201st in Total Putting in 2019 – but this week he was clutch on the greens.

“If he putts well, he will have a great chance to win and this week he has made some great putts,” said Ingram, who said it’s “just a matter of time” before Conners is a household name.

Former world No. 1, Justin Thomas, has already recognized Conners’ mettle. He dubbed Conners a “quiet assassin” on Twitter late last year.

“Love his tempo and demeanour,” said Thomas.

The tempo never wavered for Conners Sunday, although the score fluctuated and the victory became less and less certain.

Parsons said one member mentioned voodoo charms being cast onto their television. There was talk of sacrificing a chicken. Conners’ caddie, Kyle Peters, was on the hunt for a hot dog at the turn (he ate them before and after every round this week so figured there might be some good-luck there).

Nothing was necessary.

Conners’ wife Malory (they got married last October and she follows him to every tournament) became a bit of celebrity during the final round with her every enthusiastic reaction recorded by television cameras.

Malory was there to embrace Conners on the 72nd green. Conners’ friend and fellow professional Taylor Pendrith was driving to a mini-tour event but pulled into a bar to watch the final round unfold. Fellow Canadian PGA Tour winners Nick Taylor and Mackenzie Hughes were on the 72nd green in Texas, beers in hand – like good Canadian boys.

They were all there to see Conners answer the question of when he would win on the PGA Tour with an emphatic, “now.”

Weir will have company next week at the Masters. And maybe, one day, some company in the champions locker room too.