Conners off to hot start at breezy Bay Hill
Published
Corey Conners battled strong gusts and a tough Bay Hill course to post a solid three-under 69 that had him two shots back of the lead after the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Conners is tied with Shane Lowry, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Keegan Bradley, behind leader Wyndham Clark.
Teeing off just after noon, Conners missed most of the worst of the winds which were strong when play began but eased up as the day went on. Still, trying to measure the waning intensity on each shot provided plenty of challenge
“It was really a lot breezier this morning when we started our round than it was at the end,” said Conners. “Even though the conditions maybe got easier, it was tricky to trust that there was less wind, just because it was playing a big factor on a lot of shots early in the round.”
Largely because of the breezes, Conners only hit nine of 18 greens, an exceptionally low number for one of the tour’s top marksmen. However, he was able to get up-and-down on six occasions to keep his round together.
There were some great iron shots from the Canadian such as on the par-3 second hole, where he hit his tee shot to two feet, and the ninth, where his second shot landed a foot from the hole. Both times he converted them into birdies.
Perhaps the most satisfying birdie on the day was on 18, one of Bay Hill’s most difficult holes. Conners hit his second shot 24 feet left of the hole and then rolled in a final birdie.
“Hit a great drive, pretty solid iron shot, and was able to knock in a nice putt,” stated Conners. “Really pleased with that hole. Definitely a good feeling going into the rest of the week.”
The native of Listowel, Ont., has played well in this tournament in the past, logging finishes inside the top 21 in each of the last four years. After a mediocre start to his season on the West Coast, he’s looking for a good showing on a course he enjoys and fits his game.
“I know it's a really difficult golf course; it's demanding from hole 1 through hole 18, there's a lot of challenging holes,” stated Conners. “I think being patient, and I've always seemed to, I think the holes fit my eye nicely, and I've always struck it pretty well here. That's a big key around this place, being in control of your ball flight and ball into the greens.”
Conners was the only one of five Canadians in the field to break par. Mackenzie Hughes was one over, while Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor posted rounds of three-over 75. Taylor Pendrith made six bogeys and one double against just a single birdie for a round of seven-over 79.