Corey Conners and his countrymen give the Canadian Open something to smile about

One of the narratives that emerge when play began at the RBC Canadian Open last year was that the tournament deserved a great story come Sunday.

Two years of cancellations due to COVID — and the launch of LIV Golf the same week as the Open — had Golf Canada and RBC officials praying to the golf gods for some good karma. They got it, and then some, when Rory McIlroy defended his 2019 title in a wild finish at St. George’s Golf and Country Club.

A year on, the prayers have probably turned to pleas with Tuesday’s bombshell news of the PGA Tour partnering with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the financier of LIV Golf, sucking up much of the oxygen at Oakdale Golf and Country Club. Poor-quality oxygen at that, given the smoke from Ontario and Quebec wildfires. Oh, and by the way, the big-money designated events that are now surrounding the RBC Canadian Open have done no favours for the field this week.

And so far, things are going nicely, with Canada’s top-ranked player tied for the opening-round lead and two of his best friends not far behind.

“I’d done a couple loops around the property, just making sure operationally we are doing the job that we are trying to do, and then I peek at a leaderboard and Corey Conners is 5 under and the world is in a good place,” Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum said. “That’s what we are excited about. We are excited about seeing PGA Tour players doing what they do on the golf course and hopefully we can continue that same trajectory we had last year.”

What Conners did Thursday was exceptional, especially with him dealing with a family emergency that required him to leave the golf course immediately following his round.

The Listowel, Ont., native fired a bogey-free 67 in a featured morning group with fellow Canadian Nick Taylor and Englishman Tommy Fleetwood. Starting on the 10th tee, Conners made birdies on his first and third holes, then his ninth and 10th, and one more on his 16th, the par-5 seventh. He hit 11 of 15 fairways, 16 of 18 greens and needed 29 putts. With Oakdale’s gnarly rough swallowing up any errant shot, a steady plodder is the type who should excel here.

“He drove it great,” Taylor said, via text. “Hit a bunch of greens and made it stress-free. Couple of nice mid-length putts and up and downs. Very solid.”

A winner at the Valero Texas Open in April, Conners was in contention two weeks ago at the PGA Championship. He shared the lead through 36 holes, was one back through 54, but ballooned to a 75 in the final round to tie for 12th. He is also coming off his best Canadian Open finish last year when he was sixth.

“I think this course has some similarities to St. George’s,” Conners said Tuesday. “There’s some undulated fairways and elevated greens and thick rough. My record here at the RBC Canadian Open is not particularly great. Saying that, I did miss a few years when I felt like I was playing well. I’m definitely getting more comfortable with the added attention. It’s not every week that most fans know who I am walking around.”

Conners. who is tied with Aaron Rai, Justin Lower and Chesson Hadley, is not the only notable name off to a good start. Matthew Fitzpatrick opened with a 4-under 68, while Conners’ fellow Kent State University alumni Mackenzie Hughes and Taylor Pendrith carded 3-under 69s, the same score shot by Justin Rose.

“Obviously there’s been some crazy news this week and we still got to go out there and provide a good show,” Pendrith said. “The importance now is on golf and providing everybody a great tournament.”

As for McIlroy, he began his title defence with a 1-under 71, having played the front nine Thursday for the first time. Noting what a long week it has been for him already, McIlroy seemed pleased to be playing golf instead of getting grilled with PIF questions, even if his game wasn’t particularly sharp.

“The most uncomfortable I’ve felt in the last 12 months was my press conference yesterday,” McIlroy said.

Jason Logan is the editor of SCOREGolf magazine, which is co-owned by Torstar, the Star's parent company. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @jasonSCOREGolf