SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Corey Conners was ready to bounce back.
Canada’s top-ranked male golfer had an uncharacteristic week at home at the RBC Canadian Open, where he missed the cut. He also had an odd U.S. Open in 2025, withdrawing before the final round after hurting his wrist hitting a television cable.
So, one of the steadiest golfers on the planet did what he does best Thursday — and into Friday — at this year’s U.S. Open: he ball-struck his way into the mix at a major.
Conners shot a 1-under 69 to open the week at Shinnecock Hills, tied for his lowest career first round at the U.S. Open. With a two-hour fog delay Thursday, Conners was forced to return Friday morning to wrap up his first round. He rolled in a slippery 10-footer for par on No. 17 and then two-putted for par on 18.
His second round began at 7:45 a.m. ET / 4:45 a.m. PT.
“It was great,” Conners said Friday between rounds, en route to eating his second breakfast of the morning. “Nice to have made the putt this morning. Felt great. Feel like I hit the ball well and kept it in position and tried to limit the stress out there.”
Conners opened with a bogey on Thursday but bounced back nicely with two birdies in a stretch of four holes on his front nine to make the turn at even par — two-putting from 66 feet on the former and rolling in a 12-footer on the latter.
Conners then added two more birdies on Nos. 11 and 13 and had a share of the lead at that point.
He bogeyed the par-4 14th after three putting from 56 feet but steered it into the house after that.
Somewhat surprisingly, given Conners’ consistency, this typically has been far and away his worst major championship.
This is his eighth start at the U.S. Open and he has missed the cut five times. His best finish came in 2024 at Pinehurst, where he ended up tied for ninth — locking up his spot on Canada’s Olympic team in the process.
It’s been a curious season for Conners to this point, with zero top-10 finishes. But he remains the top Canadian in the Official World Golf Ranking and will look to continue his fine play through Friday, with his second round already underway after a quick turnaround.
“Ready for a challenge,” Conners said. “The winds were up (on Thursday) but got fortunate in the afternoon with things calming down later. It’ll be a demanding next few days and just have to keep your focus.”
Ben Silverman and Nick Taylor both got their rounds completed on Thursday, shooting 4-over 74s.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju, in his second-career major start, opened with a 3-over 73 but made a birdie on his first hole of his second round early Friday morning.
