Conners off to fast start at Match Play
Published
Corey Conners got off to a fast and somewhat short start on the first day of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club.
Conners rolled to a 6&5 victory over Austrian Sepp Straka, closing him out on the 13th hole.
“Obviously thrilled with the result,” he said. “I got off to a really nice start, felt really good about my game. Did a lot of things well. Nice to get the first match out of the way and be victorious.”
The Canadian jumped out to a fast start, with birdies on three of the first four holes. He drained putts from 13, eight and four feet on those holes to leave Straka floundering. That, said Conners, set the tone for what he was trying to accomplish.
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“Made some nice putts early,” he stated. “Felt like that was very key. But saying that, drove it great and hit a lot of good iron shots, so overall it was a pretty solid day.”
Conners has enjoyed success in Match Play throughout his career. Last year he reached the semi-finals of this event and defeated Dustin Johnson in the consolation match. As an amateur, he reached the semi-finals and finals of the U.S. Amateur on two different occasions.
He’s learned that one of his strengths in this format is his accuracy, especially into the greens. It was on display for much of the opening round on Wednesday in Austin, Texas.
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“I've found that through some experience in match play,” said Conners. “Not the longest hitter, so typically hitting first approach shot into the green, I think it's definitely an advantage to add a little pressure to the opponent.”
Conners will face Cam Young in his next match on Thursday at 11:04 a.m. ET.