Corey Conners didn’t lose the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi—he got beat by the monster of mash, Cameron Champ. But Conners, the Canadian from Listowel, Ont., did shoot 4-under in the final round to finish second, his best finish in two years on the PGA Tour.
It was an interesting week for Conners, 26, who got married last weekend, and brought his bride with him to Mississippi. A third-round 64 blasted him into contention, just behind Champ, who finished the week with a driving average of 343.5-yards, long even by the standards of the biggest hitters on the PGA Tour. Conners, who shot 4-under in the final round, stayed with Champ. But Champ recorded five birdies in the final six holes to break away, finishing at 21-under, four shots ahead of Conners.
Conners wasn’t sure his wife Malory was thrilled by Mississippi as a destination a week after their wedding, but that was likely mitigated by the second-place cheque her husband received.
“I don’t know if she was too excited about me taking her here for the honeymoon,” Conners said. “It feels great to be married. There was a lot of planning that was involved. Had an amazing day. It was really special with family and friends.”
But with the wedding plans behind him, Conners was able to refocus on golf.
“Yeah, just kind of a lot weight off the shoulders,” he said. “Nothing to worry about now. Excited to be here just playing golf.”
Conners, who struggled with his putting in his rookie year on the PGA Tour, continued to prove he’s one of the best ball strikers on tour, hitting 71% of fairways at an average of just over 300-yards. But it was his putting, which has been a challenge in his brief time on the PGA Tour, that improved. His strokes gained putting average was .859 for the week, well ahead of his -3.627 average on the year. That means, typically Conners loses almost four shots per round due to his putting, and his performance with his putter at the Sanderson accounted for much of his improvement.
Corey Conners WITB
PING G400 LST Driver 8.5°
PING G400 Fairway (3-Wood)
PING G400 Hybrid (3H)
PING i200 Iron (4)
PING iBlade (5-PW)
PING Glide 2.0 Stealth (50/SS, 56/SS)
PING Glide Forged Wedge (60°SS)
PING Prototype PLD Putter