SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Corey Conners had it going early Saturday, however the membership he’s usually struggled with was, once more, his kryptonite at the U.S. Open.
The lone Canadian to make the lower at Shinnecock Hills, Conners was as regular as ever by 4 holes, hitting each fairway and each inexperienced and making 4 straight pars. He added a birdie on No. 5, taking part in as the simplest gap on the course, after which nailed a 20-footer for one more birdie on No. 8.
The wheels got here off after that as he made the flip, however Conners was capable of steer it into the home and hit the shot of the day on No. 18, touchdown his strategy simply eight inches away for a closing birdie.
Conners shot a 1-over 71 Saturday and heads into the finale at Shinnecock Hills tied for thirteenth. His best finish at the U.S. Open got here in 2024 when he completed tied for ninth.
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The birdie on No. 8 moved Conners into crimson figures and inside shouting distance of Wyndham Clark at the time. However Clark pulled away late and leads by six pictures after 54 holes as he appears to be like for his second U.S. Open title since 2023.
Conners mentioned he hit a “actually good putt” on the par-4 eighth and was prepared, he mentioned, to do a celebratory walk-in.
“But it surely was wiggling at the tip and simply caught the proper edge,” Conner mentioned. “I used to be trying to construct off that momentum and provides myself probabilities the following couple holes. I just about performed flawless golf (to that time).”
Conners had simply two ft left for par on the par-4 ninth, however it lipped out, leaving him a testy five-footer coming again for bogey.
He bogeyed three of his subsequent 4 holes and couldn’t get it again beneath par for the remainder of Saturday.
Conners’ effort on No. 10 is an ideal instance of how powerful it was taking part in within the third spherical. He hit a pitching wedge from 175 yards (he mentioned with a smile) that landed hole-high – however he couldn’t preserve it on the inexperienced. That shot, from behind the inexperienced on No. 10, is mainly an computerized bogey.
“The primary few days have been positively softer. Issues received slightly firmer right this moment and dried out actually quick. We have been barely making any ball marks on the greens, and the fairways have been operating,” Conners mentioned.
If there’s a constructive from Conners’ third-round effort, it’s that his ball placing appears to be again to what we’ve come to anticipate. He sits fourth in greens in regulation for the week – hitting nearly 75 per cent – and he’s tied for fourth in fairways hit, hitting 83 per cent.
It’s all there for him to attain – however he’s struggling to transform.
Though he was really internet constructive in strokes gained: placing on Saturday, he’s 63rd out of 72 golfers who made the lower within the statistic, shedding virtually two strokes to the sphere over the primary three days.
Now, the putts he did miss for essentially the most half Saturday weren’t essentially gimmies. However there was definitely a way of what-could-have-been at the tip of the day.
Conners, nonetheless, is trending in direction of his best finish of the PGA Tour season as he’s but to notch a top-10 end in 2026.
“Extra tap-in birdies could be good,” Conners mentioned with a smile about his plan for Sunday. “Simply preserve being free and hitting it properly and giving myself probabilities. It’s laborious to make birdies – however it’s doable. I’m not going to attempt to go loopy aggressive, however play inside myself and let it occur and see the place it provides up at the tip.”
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