Corey Conners was not attracting much attention in the period prior to the first specialty of the year, but the Canadian announced his presence on Thursday with his best start for a teacher who firmly left him in contest.
The preparation for the masters focused mainly on Defensor champion Scottie Scheffler and Rory Mcilroy, the two best golfers in the world, but Conners made way in the conversation for at least one day with an opening of four under a bass torque 68, which exceeded the classification at the time he concluded his round.
That left Conners, who ended up within the Top 10 in Augusta National in three consecutive years between 2000 and 22, in a part of the second place, four shots of the first round leader Justin Rose and level with Scheffler and the runner -up of 2024 Ludvig Aberg.
Scheffler seeks to become the youngest with three green jackets from Jack Nicklaus in 1966.
“It’s a golf course to come to. I don’t know how you couldn’t love coming here. It’s a spectacular event, a spectacular golf course,” Conners said.
“Yes, I feel that the course adapts very well to my eye and plays in some of my strengths.”
Conners reached the major in solid form after the Top 10 finished in four of his nine PGA Tour events this season and was very comfortable while heading to Augusta National.
But Conners, hoping to continue in the steps of the 2003 winner Mike Weir and becoming the second Canadian to get into a green jacket, started his round with his next shot when he managed to go to par.
“To see that enter, that was great. I was trying to do it from top to bottom, and entered,” Conners said. “That was a good advantage and definitely a impulse builder.”
Conners, 33, broke into the classification table at the end of his round while birably birastically, including a 24 -foot foot in the 17 that continued with a 13 feet foot in the last one that caught the left edge of the cup.
There is a lot of golf to play, but Conners likes where he is and feels comfortable with the notoriously complicated and undulating green of Augusta National.
“Obviously they are very fast. You don’t need to work too much to take the ball to the hole. I feel that the rhythm I have is good,” Conners said.
“I have confidence that I am starting online, and today I could guide some good.”
