ROCHESTER, N.Y. — To the best of the knowledge of the PGA of America, this year will mark the most Canadians to tee it up at the PGA Championship.
And Corey Conners says he’s been looking forward to this event for a while, since it’s pretty darn close to home.
“It’ll have the feel of being back home. Although it’s not in Canada, it’s close. I definitely think that will add some comfort,” says Conners, Canada’s top-ranked male golfer, who hails from Listowel, Ont., which is about halfway between Toronto and Lake Huron.
“(This event) has been in the back of my mind. It’s going to feel like being home.”
This is likely the closest major championship that will be contested to the U.S./Canada border, with Oak Hill Country Club less than 200 kilometres from Niagara Falls. And with six red-and-white representatives, led by Conners, in the field, there’s as good an opportunity as any to see a Canadian male lift a major-championship trophy again, two decades after Mike Weir’s green jacket triumph.
Taylor Pendrith, of Richmond Hill, Ont., Mackenzie Hughes, of Hamilton, Ont., Adam Svensson, of Surrey, B.C., and Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, both of Abbotsford, B.C. make up the Canadian contingent. Taylor, who is Canada’s top-ranked player in the FedExCup standings at No. 22, and his wife, Andie, just had their second child — a daughter, Harper — on May 6. But he’s back in action this week after a three-week break.
Conners, meanwhile, is just two spots back of Taylor at No. 24 in the FedExCup and comes into Oak Hill off a tie for eighth at the Wells Fargo Championship two weeks ago. That event is hosted at the venerable Quail Hollow Club, the location of last year’s Presidents Cup and a multi-time major championship venue itself.
Conners said having that result in his back pocket will be important for his confidence this week. He missed the cut at both The Players Championship and the Masters and is eager to knock out a big result at a big tournament.
“It’s a very difficult golf course (and) you had to do everything really, really well. It was a good test,” Conners said. “I felt like I did do everything well there, and that’s what it’s going to take to play at Oak Hill as well. I’ve definitely got some confidence.”
Conners’ season, by his own admission, has been “interesting” with respect to results. He’s got eight top-25 finishes, including a victory at the Valero Texas Open, but there were those two aforementioned early exits. His confidence was “super high” heading into the Masters after the win in Texas (Conners also came into that week as a dark-horse pick to win it all after three top-10 finishes in a row at Augusta National) but reflecting back, he “mentally wasn’t quite there.”
The good news — especially heading into another chance at a major championship — is that Conners’ strengths have been locked in so far in 2023. He’s 27th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Total, and has put together has complete a season, stats-wise, as any in recent memory.
“I’ve felt great about my game I just haven’t seen the results, which has been disappointing. But I still feel solid. I’m pretty good at taking a lot of the positives versus the missed the cuts and bottle that up and look ahead,” Conners said. “A real big thing is knowing my strengths […] have been really strong. I’ve been hitting it well and that’s been carrying me to a good finish. It feels good to know my strengths are staying pretty strong.”
But what about taking things to the next level? Conners, along with Taylor and Hughes, are the only active Canadians on the PGA Tour with more than one win. Only six other Canadians in history have more than two. There’s just one man, however, with a major title.
Weir has long said that results beget results. The more often these guys are in the mix, the more comfortable they become. Conners’ best result at the PGA Championship was a tie for 17th two years ago (he missed the cut in 2022). Pendrith could be a threat this week, as plenty of analysts are comparing this Northwestern New York brute to the U.S. Open at Winged Foot (where Pendrith finished tied for 23rd) with plenty of long, forced carries and the need for soft hands around the greens. Hughes and Svensson have won already this year. Hadwin has four top-10s. And Taylor’s got another kiddo to impress.
But Conners is tops amongst the men for a reason.
He has no issue being paired with a big name like Jon Rahm or Rory McIlroy, he said, since if he gets them on the weekend he knows they’ll likely be in the mix — and it’s a spot he wants to be. There’s more excitement around those groups, he said. Conners knows how to prepare for one of these weeks and would relish the chance to tussle with a big-name.
“I try to normalize the week as much as possible and not go too crazy and worry too much that my preparation is perfect,” Conners said. “But every week I prepare really well. I just stick to that, and sticking to who I am is the biggest key there.”
Who he is, is this country’s top-ranked golfer on the PGA Tour. And there’s no time like the present for a great result at a major championship.
