The Canadian story at Augusta National Friday was the rebound of National Amateur Squad member Corey Conners.
The Listowel, Ont., native returned to his usual form for Friday’s round at Augusta, firing a 3-under par 69 despite a double-bogey on the par-4 10th. Conners, sporting his bright red Team Canada gear, posted six birdies in his best effort to make the cut. Sadly, he finished five-over par to miss the cut which was made at 2-over.
Friday’s strong performance hints at the elite capabilities of the young Conners, who is primed to make the leap to the professional ranks next week at the RBC Heritage. His round did not go unnoticed by other Canadian golf pros.
Great playing by @coreconn at Augusta. Bright future for sure.
— Graham DeLaet (@GrahamDeLaet) April 10, 2015
The 23-year-old Canadian was the only amateur to break par at Augusta National. “Drove the ball well, made a lot of iron shots and holed the putts,” said Conners. “Easier to be relaxed when you’re playing well, and I had a lot of fun.” Team Canada coach Derek Ingram also shared his sentiments about the entire experience.
Great to be a small part @coreconn week @TheMasters. Total class act, awesome representative @TheGolfCanada #dragons pic.twitter.com/sWO52gIs2y
— Derek Ingram (@dingramgolf) April 11, 2015
Here was the final amateur leaderboard for the seven amateurs in the field.
Alongside Conners in the 11:25 a.m. tee time was Brights Grove, Ont. native and 2003 Masters champion, Mike Weir. The struggles continued for the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member, who posted a disappointing 80 to finish at 20-over par for the tournament.
Corey Conners’ Scorecard:
Click here to view a summary of Conners’ round.
Mike Weir’s Scorecard:
Click here to view a summary of Weir’s round.