Conners top Canadian after opening round at Masters; Taylor struggles
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Corey Conners teed off first among the four Canadians in action at the 2024 Masters, and his 2-under through 18 represented the best showing of the group.
Also in the running were reigning Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor, 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir and Adam Hadwin.
Conners had an inauspicious start, with a bogey followed by four straight pars, but he heated up to finish the front nine - a trio of birdies from six through eight left him a shot back from the lead.
The Listowel, Ont. native stayed steady on the back nine, with just one bogey on 14 and a birdie on 16 to finish his day a 2-under 70.
Weir, the veteran among the Canadians who won the Masters over 20 years ago, had a bumpy front nine that included three bogeys.
His birdie on 8 was an adventure that concluded with a 29-yard chip in from the fairway. The 53-year-old from Sarnia, Ont. played a strong back nine, with one birdie on 13 and no blemishes until the 18th hole. Weir missed a putt for par from just five feet out and had to take a bogey to push his score to 2-over for the day.
Hadwin had the strongest start of the Canadians, sitting 1-under after a birdie on three, but bogeys on five and seven pushed the Moose Jaw, Sask. native to 1-over after the front nine.
His first tee shot on the back nine landed in the woods, and the 10th hole ended with a double bogey for Hadwin. He responded with a birdie on 13, but a bogey on 17 dropped his score to 3-over for the opening round.
Taylor kicked off his up-and-down opening round at the Masters with a bogey on one, and finished his front nine with four bogeys and three birdies to sit at 1-over.
He bogeyed 11, and a birdie on 13 was the final positive note on the day for the Winnipeg native - he bogeyed on 14, 16, 17 and 18 to finish his day at 5-over.
Bryson DeChambeau leads after the first round with a 7-under mark.