THUNDER BAY -- A familiar face greeted Corey Conners as he arrived at Whitewater Golf Club this week, a sponsor’s exemption in hand allowing him to compete at the Staal Foundation Open.
The tournament has been using Mike Weir’s image in its marketing, Canada’s most successful golfer and to date, its only major champion. His face is featured on a sign marking the course entrance.
A rookie pro without status on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada and a Masters tournament veteran at just 23, Conners earned the right to stroll the fairways of Augusta National this past April thanks to last year’s runner-up finish at the U.S. Amateur.
Not only did the Listowel, Ont. native get to follow in Weir’s footsteps at the Master’s, he got to play alongside his idol, the 2003 champion, during a practice match and for the first two rounds of the tournament.
Conners beat Weir on consecutive days, rebounding from a disastrous opening-round 80 on Thursday to score an impressive three-under 69 on Friday, matching Tiger Woods’ score for the day. The same Woods whose 1997 Masters triumph he says he's watched 200 times, according to the Vancouver Province.
They’re two days he’ll never forget.
“It was awesome to play with Mike Weir, one of my biggest idols growing up. As an aspiring Canadian golfer, I looked up to him a lot,” said Conners, after a practice round Wednesday at Whitewater Golf Club.
“I remember watching him win the 2003 Masters on TV and that was pretty exciting and a great moment in Canadian golf so it was great to play with a legend like that.”
Of course one doesn’t play with a past Masters champion without mining the man for information about the course, arguably the most famous track in the world.
Weir was only too happy to share his hard-won knowledge.
“He was showing me around a little bit, some of the better places to be on the greens or if you missed the green or didn’t have a shot at the green, the places to leave it,” said Conners, who tees off from the 10th tee on Thursday in the tournament’s final group, playing with fellow Canadian Mitchell Sutton and American Eric Atsma.
“It was very helpful to me and he kind of helped me stay relaxed. It was a fun time and I was able to talk to him quite a bit.”
Nerves struck in the opening round, but to rebound like he did on Day 2 was a huge confidence boost, Conners said.
“It definitely felt great. I was kind of disappointed with my first-round score. I actually played pretty well, I just got myself in some tough spots and wasn’t able to recover, but the second round, shooting 69, that was incredible. That felt awesome and I’m really proud of that performance and looking forward to getting back and trying to do it again,” he said.
He’ll have to work his way back.
Conners, a member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro squad, doesn’t have status on any tour this year. But the Kent State University graduate is hoping sponsor exemptions like the one granted to him in Thunder Bay and at next week's RBC Canadian Open can carry him through and let his success determine his next steps in the game.
“The plan is to play as many of these events as possible and try to do well and see what happens. The ultimate goal here would be finishing high on the money list and getting into second or final stage of Q-school or getting Web.com (Tour) status for next year.”
Conners has played in three Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada events in 2015, winning $4,550. That's good for 56th on the Order of Merit. The top 60 earn back playing privileges in 2016.
