Corey Conners donned the traditional winner’s boot again after he stomped the field at the Valero Texas open in San Antonio, Texas.
Conners won his second PGA Tour title – both at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course – with a bogey-free 4-under 68. This was one stroke more than Texas native Sam Stevens.
Conners stated, “It was an uphill battle.”
Conners, 31, was trailing by one stroke at the end of rounds 64-72-69. Conners scored three birdies on nine, including an 18-footer at nine. This gave Conners a four-stroke advantage at turn.
Conners said that Kind of putt on 9 could have gotten away from you, but it was back in the wind and tried being really aggressive.” It was a little bit smoky at first, but it just kinda dribbled in.
Patrick Rodgers, overnight leader, quickly lost his grip on the race with four bogeys in the front nine. He finished fifth (73).
Rodgers stated, “It’s one those courses where it doesn’t take much to get pretty close and that was my today.” “Disappointing result but I’ll be back stronger.”
4 years after his first TOUR win, @CoreConn gets it done again @ValeroTXOpen pic.twitter.com/E8nSmvcqj8
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR), April 2, 2023
Sam Stevens, a rookie, made two eagles on his way to posting 66. He did not fight for the back nine. Conners was within striking distance of Stevens’ eagle at 17. He couldn’t make the 8-foot birdie at tie. The Canadian ended his winless streak with eight pars and one birdie.
Conners was a Monday qualifier when he won Valero Texas Open 2019 to secure a spot at the Masters. He didn’t feel that extra pressure this year. He was already exempt from the major next week. He was the International Team representative in the Presidents Cup last year and entered the week at No. He was ranked 40th in the Official World Golf Ranking but had not been able to win a second Tour title.
Conners has a perfect 5-for-5 record at TPC San Antonio. He never finishes lower than T-35, and holds the lowest scoring average at the course ever since 2010.
Conners stated, “I love the golf course and feel really at home out here.”
Matt Kuchar also finished third with 68 points. He was tied with Sam Ryder for third. Kuchar finished as runner-up last year and was awarded his fifth top-10 position at the event.
Kuchar stated, “I wish that I had made more putts earlier on.” It was a difficult day. I was able to see Corey Conners play. It was amazing to see him play 18 holes without missing a shot.
Conners birdied at 15 to make it 15 under. He parred in for a total 72-hole score of 15-under 273. Conners became the 10th th multiple Valero Texas Open champion, joining Justin Leonard, Ben Crenshaw, and Arnold Palmer. Conners became the first player to win since K.H. Lee also recorded his first two PGA Tour wins at the same event. Kent State University actuarial mathematics major was asked how likely he would be to win the tournament.
Conners stated, “You know what? It’s probably not very likely.” “I felt great about myself, but it’s so hard to win on the PGA Tour. It feels like I have been working hard, but I can’t seem to make it happen the last four years. But it’s sweet and it’s Texas that I love.
By: Adam Schupak
Title: Corey Conners rolls to victory at the Valero Texas Open (again): ‘I definitely love Texas’
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/04/02/corey-conners-cruises-valero-texas-open/
Published Date: Sun, 02 Apr 2023 22:02:06 +0000
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