Jun 30, 2021
Hughes, Conners to share another journey at Olympics
Canadians see Tokyo Games as another milestone in a long, shared golf journey that dates back to their time as junior players, Bob Weeks writes.
By Bob Weeks
Corey Conners and Mac Hughes have played together on a lot of teams over the years.
As juniors, they knocked heads in events around Southwestern Ontario. As amateurs, they represented Canada together in international competitions and joined forces for Kent State University in NCAA play.
Now the duo will team up once again to represent Canada at the Olympics in Tokyo.
The two were introduced formally by Golf Canada on Tuesday as the men’s representatives for Tokyo. They join Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp who will reprise their roles from Rio five years ago.
It’s another milestone in a long, shared golf journey for the two who first met when they were at a junior event at Conners’ home club in Listowel, Ont.
“It’s definitely crazy,” said Conners of the chance meeting when he was 12 and Hughes was 13. “Neither of us at that moment when we first battled it out against one another would have ever thought we’d be Olympians or PGA Tour winners or continue to be great friends.”
Hughes, who grew up 90 minutes south of Listowel in Dundas, Ont., called the chance of the two players becoming Olympians 17 year later astronomical.
“To think that those two kids are going to Tokyo to represent Canada, you can’t make it up,” he said.
But it is reality. Conners and Hughes are the two highest-ranked Canadian players on the Official World Golf Ranking, and both have been in competition for major championships this year.
As amateurs, the two players battled each other over countless courses in competitions big and small. Conners won the Ontario Junior Championship in 2010, while Hughes took top honours at the Canadian Amateur in 2011 and 2012. Conners was runner-up in the national championship a year later.
Hughes attended Kent State from 2008-09 through to 2011-12 while Conners came two years later. Together, they helped the school make it to the 2012 NCAA Championship final eight, a match-play competition that was held at Riviera Country Club near Los Angeles.
That same year, as members of the Canadian national team, they joined with Toronto’s Albin Choi to represent their country at the World Team Amateur Competition in Turkey where they finished sixth.
After playing on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada and on the Korn Ferry Tour, Hughes advanced to the PGA Tour in 2017. A year later, Conners joined him. Both have won a single title.
The two even share a love of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a devotion so deep that neither one is willing to cheer for the archrival Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup final.
“Never,” stated Hughes, whose yardage book carries the Maple Leaf emblem on the cover. “That’s not going to happen.”
“I didn’t know there was hockey still being played,” quipped Conners.
Now the two will take one more shared journey to the Olympics.
“Mac and I have a long history of friendship and competing against one another and being teammates,” said Conners, “so it’s really fun to get to share this with him.”
“Corey’s been a great friend of mine for a number of years,” added Hughes, “and this will be another one of those things we’ll talk about for a long time.”
The event, which starts July 29 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club, will be missing several of the game’s top competitors. Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen, Tyrrell Hatton, and Sergio Garcia are among more than 20 men who have opted out for various reasons, the main one being a busy schedule. Some have commented on the issue of safety and the COVID pandemic.
But there was never any hesitation for the two Canadians who indicated making the Olympics was high on their list of goals ever since the sport rejoined the Games in 2016.
“I’ve always been 100 per cent in,” Conners said. “To call yourself an Olympian is a pretty special honour and I’m pretty proud and excited to represent Team Canada. It was never really a question of whether I was going to go, it was just earn my spot on the team.”
Hughes was also committed adding that he felt comfortable the Canadian team leaders wouldn’t send any athletes to Tokyo if there were significant risks.
Both know, however, that it won’t be an Olympics like those they grew up watching. There will be no opportunities to attend other events and cheer for their Canadian teammates. The protocols call for the athletes to compete and then return to their hotel rooms. The golfers won’t even stay in the Olympic Village.
Still, it will be the Olympics and there will be medals up for grabs. For Conners and Hughes, it’s another step on their golfing odyssey.