PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 19, 2023

Corey Conners

Oak Hill Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Corey Conners is joining us on day 2 of the 105th PGA Championship. A 2-under 68 for you today. Are you pleased with your score, especially considering the elements?

COREY CONNERS: Very pleased with the score. The conditions were tricky out there, faced some wind, some rain. Ended up being reasonably nice the last few holes, but game was solid. Felt like I made a bunch of key putts to keep momentum going, and that was really the key to the day.

THE MODERATOR: We will open it up for questions.

Q. You've been in this position a few times now. What do you think makes you more ready to see it through now, either mentally or with your game?

COREY CONNERS: Yeah, I think just getting experience in the situation is helpful. Yeah, I think winning in Texas a little over a month ago, take a lot from that. Yeah, lots of confidence in my game, feel good, and having fun out there.

Q. Can you speak to how difficult the 6, 7, 8, and 9 are playing, that stretch right there on the end of the front nine?

COREY CONNERS: Really difficult. If you hit the ball in the fairway, you can manage those holes, but they're very challenging. You have to hit really solid shots, or you'll be scrambling for sure.

Q. What's making 6 so difficult?

COREY CONNERS: I think the length, first of all. The tee shot is difficult. If you get it in the rough, you have no chance to go for the green pretty much. Even if you hit the fairway, it's a pretty long approach shot.

Q. What have you been most pleased with? Which part of your game have you been most pleased with through two rounds?

COREY CONNERS: I would say probably my putting. My speed has been great, and I've been seeing a number of putts go in, which feels good.

Q. You're having a fantastic tournament so far. It's really challenging out there, the conditions, but what are you enjoying most about it all right now, and how special is this for Canadian sports?

COREY CONNERS: It's been a pretty special week so far. I think being so close to Canada there's a lot of Canadian fans out here. They're cheering me on. That definitely feels good.

Q. Does that give you another shot of adrenaline, another rush of excitement?

COREY CONNERS: Yeah, it puts a smile on my face. I mean, I'm not a super fiery guy. Try not to get too high or low, but yeah, puts a smile on my face. Nice to know people are cheering for me.

Q. My first question is about Canada also because you're not the only Canadian on the leaderboard. You've got Taylor, Adam Svensson, guys that you not only know but have played with, played junior for a long time. What does it mean to you to see some of your Canadian buddies all competing and contending well at the same time?

COREY CONNERS: Yeah, it's pretty exciting. Really close with both Taylor and Adam. It's fun to be part of the group of Canadian golfers right now.

I think whether it's myself or one of them or the others, someone is making some noise every week. It's fun to be a part of.

Q. You were putting really well today too. I think Taylor was leading in strokes gained in the morning wave. He was making everything. Your putting, you had a couple of mid-length saves at 17 and 18, and then the 21-foot birdie on 2. How important were those saves to get you rolling in order to make another long putt that time for birdie?

COREY CONNERS: Those two saves were huge. Really kept me settled down and kind of focused on what I wanted to focus on. It definitely felt good to see those putts go in, was kind of scrambling on 17 and 18.

Q. What did you think of this place when you first saw it when you got here?

COREY CONNERS: I was really, really impressed. I thought it's a spectacular test of golf. It's demanding.

Q. What did you think about it as it related for you?

COREY CONNERS: I liked it. Obviously ball-striking is a big strength of mine. I thought that would serve really well. I knew short game and putting were going to be very important here because inevitably you're going to find yourself in the rough or miss some greens and need to be able to scramble.

Q. Was there a video of you practicing out of the rough?

COREY CONNERS: Oh, yeah.

Q. Do you do that a lot?

COREY CONNERS: Yeah, when rough conditions are like this, I have the TrackMan set up to see how far the ball was carrying. I feel like it's useful to judge some lies and know how far the ball is going to go.

Q. Have you ever putted in the bathtub before you got to Augusta?

COREY CONNERS: I've never done that, no.

Q. What's the biggest thing you've pulled out of winning so recently?

COREY CONNERS: I think just being settled down out on the course, relaxed, and really focused on my plan. Just not getting ahead of myself and just taking it one shot at a time.

Q. I want to go back to Presidents Cup for a second. As well as you strike the ball, that was a rough week for you. I don't know what your confidence was like during the week, but it's a format where it's kind of hard to hide. What was it like coming out of that, and was it at all hard to get back on track, if you will?

COREY CONNERS: Yeah, it was a low point of last year really. I had high hopes making the International Team and trying to get some points on the board. Yeah, I was disappointed with my performance there, but I tried not to beat myself up too much it and just, yeah, move along and try and take on the next challenge.

Definitely left that week pretty disappointed.

Q. Do you have a history of beating yourself up?

COREY CONNERS: No.

Q. That's had the no high, no low thing, right?

COREY CONNERS: Life goes on. We'll be good.