Conners, Hughes stay in the hunt at the Open

Bob Weeks

TSN Senior Reporter

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Another day and more Canadians playing well at a major.

Corey Conners and Mac Hughes moved Maple Leafs up the leaderboard at the Open Championship on Friday. Conners signed for a 2-under 68 and Hughes a 1-under 69. The sit at 4- and 5-under for 36 holes, well within striking distance of top spot.

It marked the third major this year where Conners has been inside the top 10 at some point in the tournament, after good performances at the Masters and PGA Championship. Last month, Hughes held a share of the lead after 54 holes at the U.S. Open before finishing tied for 15th.

Conners’ day was one of patience as he rattled off 13 pars and a bogey before putting on a finishing kick with an eagle and birdie over the closing five holes.

“Solid round,” said Conners. “Happy with the score overall. Bit of a slow start, but really two-putted the ball well. Had some really long putts and I was able to get it down for pars early in the round kind of on the first nine. Sort of settled in a little bit better, reset myself, tried to be a little bit more aggressive on the last six holes.”

The highlight of the day came with the eagle on the 14th hole. Conners ripped a three-wood down the left side of the par-5 hole leaving him 247-yards to the front of the green. A well-struck hybrid landed just short and bounced up to within nine feet of the hole and the Canadian drained the putt for a three.

“Boosted me up a little bit,” he said. “Gave myself some chances coming in, so overall pretty solid round.”

While Conners was staying patient, one of his playing partners was going low. Collin Morikawa made birdie on seven of his first 14 holes and appeared to be on a record pace before a bogey on the 14th hole stopped his momentum. He ended the day with a 6-under 64, two shots back of the lead held by Louis Oosthuizen.

Watching his partner make so many birdies when all he could do was add pars to his scorecard was somewhat disconcerting to Conners, but he still managed to stay patient.

“Collin played amazing golf,” he said. “Really hitting it really well, so kind of disappointed with some of the shots I hit. I knew you can't force it out here. Just tried to be aggressive but not silly and hit solid shots, and, yeah, it was impressive to watch. He played well. Hopefully can chase him down the next few days.”

Through two rounds, Conners is proving to be a fast learner when it comes to links golf. His play on courses such as Royal St. George’s is limited to the 2019 Open and last week’s Scottish Open. In both cases he missed the cut, but he clearly has enthusiasm for the shot-making required to maneuver his ball over the humps and bumps.

“I like using creativity as well,” he stated. “Fortunately, haven't got myself in too many strange places yet. But I really like links golf with my limited experience, and it's always something I thought I would be well suited for. It's definitely a fun change and a fun challenge for me this week.”

Hughes was also embracing links golf and the natural give and take of the course. His second round included three birdies and two bogeys, but he was somewhat frustrated that he wasn’t able to score better.

“I'd say I just didn't quite feel like I had it,” Hughes said. “I wouldn't say from the start, but just felt like I was a tick off, and I didn't have the same control and good feels I had yesterday.”

Hughes had a par-birdie-bogey start before settling into a groove. He birdied the seventh and bogeyed the ninth to make the turn at even par for the day. His back nine was comprised of eight pars and a birdie, that coming on the par-5 14th.

“I did a pretty good job of managing my way around and put myself on the greens and just trying to make a lot of two-putt pars and just try to be as stress-free as possible,” he said. “But this golf course can bite you at any moment.”

Away from the course, both players are trying to stay occupied under the strict protocols in place for the tournament. Golfers are only allowed at the course and their residence for the week.

“It's unusual not being able to really do anything,” said Conners, who is renting a house with his wife, caddie and coach. “Kind of confined to our accommodation and the golf course. But just making the most of it. We're having a goodtime. I like to sleep a lot as well, so that takes up a good chunk of my days.”

Hughes is alone in a hotel room and joked about his extracurricular activities

“Just been partying a lot here in England. It's been quite a rager,” he laughed. “No, just kidding. Really have done nothing. I've sat in my hotel room every night, have taken some food to go from the course, and yeah, eating in my room, watch TV. There's really been nothing to do.”

The two golfers, who will represent Canada at the Olympics in two weeks, will get a little extra time in their residences on Saturday morning, earning late tee times by virtue of their good play as they try to continue moving up the leaderboard.

Two players who won’t have tee times on the weekend are Adam Hadwin and Richard T. Lee. Both Canadians ended up at 4-over par and will miss the cut.