Canada's Corey Conners eyeing best finish of season at U.S. Open

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Corey Conners had it going early Saturday, but the club he’s often struggled with was, again, his kryptonite at the U.S. Open. 

The lone Canadian to make the cut at Shinnecock Hills, Conners was as steady as ever through four holes, hitting every fairway and every green and making four straight pars. He added a birdie on No. 5, playing as the easiest hole on the course, and then nailed a 20-footer for another birdie on No. 8. 

The wheels came off after that as he made the turn, but Conners was able to steer it into the house and hit the shot of the day on No. 18, landing his approach just eight inches away for a closing birdie. 

Conners shot a 1-over 71 Saturday and heads into the finale at Shinnecock Hills tied for 13th. His best finish at the U.S. Open came in 2024 when he finished tied for ninth.  

The birdie on No. 8 moved Conners into red figures and within shouting distance of Wyndham Clark at the time. But Clark pulled away late and leads by six shots after 54 holes as he looks for his second U.S. Open title since 2023. 

Conners said he hit a “really good putt” on the par-4 8th and was ready, he said, to do a celebratory walk-in. 

“But it was wiggling at the end and just caught the right edge,” Conner said. “I was looking to build off that momentum and give myself chances the next couple holes. I pretty much played flawless golf (to that point).” 

Conners had just two feet left for par on the par-4 9th, but it lipped out, leaving him a testy five-footer coming back for bogey. 

He bogeyed three of his next four holes and couldn’t get it back under par for the rest of Saturday. 

Conners’ effort on No. 10 is a perfect example of how tough it was playing in the third round. He hit a pitching wedge from 175 yards (he said with a smile) that landed hole-high – but he couldn’t keep it on the green. That shot, from behind the green on No. 10, is basically an automatic bogey. 

“The first few days were definitely softer. Things got a little firmer today and dried out really fast. We were barely making any ball marks on the greens, and the fairways were running,” Conners said. 

If there’s a positive from Conners’ third-round effort, it’s that his ball striking seems to be back to what we’ve come to expect. He sits fourth in greens in regulation for the week – hitting just about 75 per cent – and he’s tied for fourth in fairways hit, hitting 83 per cent. 

It’s all there for him to score – but he’s struggling to convert. 

Although he was actually net positive in strokes gained: putting on Saturday, he is 63rd out of 72 golfers who made the cut in the statistic, losing almost two strokes to the field over the first three days. 

Now, the putts he did miss for the most part Saturday weren’t necessarily gimmies. But there was certainly a sense of what-could-have-been at the end of the day. 

Conners, still, is trending towards his best finish of the PGA Tour season as he’s yet to notch a top-10 result in 2026. 

“More tap-in birdies would be nice,” Conners said with a smile about his plan for Sunday. “Just keep being free and hitting it well and giving myself chances. It’s hard to make birdies – but it is possible. I’m not going to try to go crazy aggressive, but play within myself and let it happen and see where it adds up at the end.”