SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Another major has come and gone for Corey Conners and another week he’ll be looking back on — a little bit at least — at the what could have been.
Conners shot a final-round 73 and finished nine back of eventual winner Wyndham Clark.
He finished tied for 23rd – his 12th career top-25 finish at a major.
Conners’ putter did him no favours through the week at Shinnecock Hills as he ended up 67th in strokes gained: putting for the week out of 72 golfers who made the cut.
The short distances were the troublesome ones as he missed six putts from inside of five feet for the week and 15 putts inside of eight feet.
“I just didn’t quite have the freedom (and) wasn’t hitting some with enough pace,” Conners told Sportsnet after his round. “With these greens you have to give them a bit of a hit, and I was just a bit uncomfortable doing that at certain times. You can’t guide them in. You have to hit it solid and roll it in. I knew what I needed to do, I just couldn’t quite execute.”
Conners’ T23 was his best result in a major so far this season. And given the elevated status of a major championship, he earned some valuable FedExCup points at a key time of the year.
“It was close to being a great week. Felt like I did a lot of things well, just wasn’t able to get on the runs you need (to win) and convert birdies,” Conners said.
Conners had it going at some points through the week, including being in a share for the lead on Thursday. As he said, he couldn’t continue the momentum through all four rounds, but there were so many positives to take away on the ball-striking side – especially in a year that Conners has admitted was a bit inconsistent.
“Disappointed not to take advantage of my ball striking, but I can leave here knowing I can hit it well,” Conners said.
Conners started his day with a tidy 12-foot par save, but he bogeyed No. 2 and then the putting struggles kicked in for a stretch, which was his ultimate undoing. He missed a 9-foot birdie try on No. 3, a 3-foot birdie attempt on No. 5, and another 3-footer for par on No. 7.
At that point, he was visibly frustrated with himself – and his putter.
Making the turn, he gave himself a chance on the par-3 11th but missed a six-footer for birdie there. He did, however, steer himself nicely over his final few holes – making a 7-footer and a 6-footer for par on Nos. 17 and 18 to close out his week.
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Conners will head across the Long Island Sound for the Travelers Championship next week, the final event in a big four-tournament stretch for the Canadian.
“Lots of positives to take from this week on such a demanding venue,” Conners said. “I felt like I was striking it well all week and that is a hallmark of my game. I kept it simple and hit it solid. Definitely going to try to build on that.”
The final major of the year, The Open Championship, goes July 16-19 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.
