Will the Conners Play Again This Week?

Since they kickoff met 17 years ago, Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners have conquered the golf game globe together.

They dominated the Canadian Junior Golf excursion together.

They starred at Kent State together.

They're currently vehement up the PGA Bout together.

From July 29-Baronial 1 they'll correspond Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games — together.

As the ii top-ranked Canadians, Hughes and Conners volition exist amid the field of threescore players competing for gold during the 72-hole issue held at East Course of the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama.

"All the steps that nosotros've taken though junior golf game, amateur golf, our collegiate days at Kent State, our young professional days, we've taken all of those steps together and had very similar trajectories and paths," said Hughes, who spoke by telephone two days afterward earning $386,500 for finishing in a tie for sixth place at the 2021 British Open on Sunday. "It's been a wild ride, and I recollect there's a lot more to the journey, merely representing Canada at the Olympics is definitely i of the pinnacles for u.s.a.. To be doing this together is kind of unthinkable really.

"To think that we'd ever be competing for an Olympic squad and be the ii best male professional golfers in Canada … information technology would accept been hard to think of those things years agone when we first met."

Hughes and Conners take already made the vast majority of their golf game dreams come true. They starred on the best squad in Kent State men's golf history, the 2012 squad that finished fifth in the nation. They've both won on the PGA Tour. Conners and Hughes are currently 36th and 53rd, respectively, in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Competing in the Olympics wasn't a dream growing upwardly, because it wasn't a possibility. Afterwards George Lyon — ironically enough from Canada — earned the golden medal in 1904, golf was left out of the Olympic Games until 2016.

"I never thought well-nigh playing in the Olympics as a kid because golf wasn't included. Merely I was a huge sports fan and always loved watching the Olympics, and knew how special information technology was to be an Olympian," said Conners, who wound upwardly 15th but was in contention midway through the last round at terminal weekend's British Open. "When golf was reintroduced information technology definitely was a goal of mine to be able to correspond Canada."

Both Conners and Hughes were surging as professionals during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

"I got my PGA Tour menu for the first time that fall, but I merely missed out on qualifying [for the Olympics]," said Hughes. "I've thought well-nigh it since and then, wanted to exist role of that when it came around once more. Information technology'due south not something that golfers accept traditionally looked forward to throughout their careers, because it wasn't at that place before. It is very neat that it's something nosotros can aspire to now and hunt. I'm certainly very honored to be an Olympian. It'southward going to be very exciting to get over there."

Conners and Hughes have earned the right to represent their native country at the Olympics during a strong era in Canadian golf. Nine Canada natives are currently competing on the PGA Bout — including Taylor Pendrith, another star on that stellar 2012 Flashes team, who will exist a total-time PGA Tour fellow member side by side flavour.

Both Conners and Hughes are from Ontario. They grew upward about about 90 minutes apart and were both lured to Kent State past legendary golf coach Herb Page — who is also from Ontario.

Hughes, a four-fourth dimension All-Mid-American Conference performer and medalist at the 2011 MAC Title, was a senior on that 2012 Kent State team. He won his start professional tournament while competing on the PGA Tour Canada the following year, and then claimed his PGA Tour carte du jour after capturing the Korn Ferry Tour's Price Cutter Charity Title in August of 2016.

Corey Conners celebrates after a hole-in-one on the sixth hole during the 3rd circular of the 2021 Masters Tournament on Sat, April x, 2021, in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)

Iii months later, in just his fifth PGA Tour start, Hughes emerged from a 5-homo playoff to win the RSM Classic. Since then he's recorded iii summit-three finishes and two top-15s in majors. Afterwards recording the highest major tournament finish of his career last weekend, Hughes' career earnings residue at $seven.3 million. He's made $1.72 one thousand thousand this season and is currently 61st in the FedExCup rankings.

Conners, a two-time All-American and two-time MAC Player of the Year, was a sophomore on that legendary 2012 Kent State squad that won five tournaments. He was a provisional member of the PGA Bout in April of 2019, when Conners won a Monday qualifier for the Valero Texas Open by draining a 30-foot birdie putt to wedge his way into a six-man playoff for one spot — which he claimed. Six days later Conners secured his first professional victory, stunning the golf world by becoming the first Monday qualifier to capture a PGA Bout event since 2010.

Conners and so recorded 10 elevation-25 finishes on the PGA Bout in 2019-xx and has at present placed among the meridian 10 in the by two Masters along with a seventh-identify endeavor at The Players Championship last March. He is currently 28th in the FedExCup rankings with over $3.4 million in earnings this season and has made over $8.7 one thousand thousand on the PGA Tour overall.

"What these guys have accomplished is merely mind-boggling," said Page. "Every step of the manner they've just gotten ameliorate and better and better, and now they're world-class. And they're very humble. They haven't changed since they left Kent State. That'southward what I'm about proud of."

Hughes and Conners share many similarities. They both stand 6-human foot and were built-in about 15 months apart (Hughes is 30 years old, Conners 29). They're both sponsored by Titleist. They're devoted ice hockey fans who cheer on the Toronto Maple Leafs together. They've become loyal friends since their junior golf days — sometime teenage rivals who stood up in each other's weddings as immature adults.

They share a common beloved for Canada and Kent State.

"When we play on the PGA Tour week in and calendar week out nosotros experience that we're representing Canada and carrying the flag," said Hughes. "When Corey and I were playing well last calendar week in the [Open up] you lot could feel that sense of pride for Canada. You know everyone in Canada is pulling for you. Just similar Canada, we stand for Kent State with the same passion and pride. Without Herb and his guidance through that programme, I'k not here today. I will always be indebted to that plan. Information technology'southward going to be cool to have two Gilded Flashes playing for Canada in the Olympics."

Mackenzie Hughes reacts as he follows his shot from the second tee during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Golf Course. Orlando Ramirez-The states TODAY Sports

Hughes and Conners however spend time together on and off the course whenever their hectic schedules allow it. They've shared countless laughs and consumed many developed beverages together over the years, the tastiest being the common cold beer Hughes presented to Conners after he walked off the 18th green following his victory in Texas.

If things go well in Nihon, maybe they'll be sipping celebratory sake together after the 72nd hole of the Tokyo Olympic Games. And things could indeed go very well for Hughes and Conners, both of whom will arrive in Nihon this calendar week chock with confidence.

"Betwixt the 2 of united states of america we give Canada a very good adventure to compete for a medal, and that's our intent," said Hughes. "We're going over at that place to endeavour to be on that podium. I wouldn't consider anything else a success really. Nosotros're over there to compete for a medal, and I like both of our chances."

"My goal for Japan is to give myself a chance for a medal," echoed Conners. "I have enough of confidence in my game and will be feeling lots of support from the fans back home. It would be awesome to exist continuing on that podium with Mac."

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Source: https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/07/25/olympics-mackenzie-hughes-and-corey-conners-canada-kent-state/

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