How Canada’s best golfer got his start: Two jobs, a bike, a fill-in twin

Canada’s national open takes center stage this weekend, which means it’s the perfect time to check in with Canada’s best golfer. You’ve grown accustomed to Corey Conners’ name on big-time leaderboards, but how’d he get his start? Scrubbing clubs and getting help from his twin sister, as it turns out.

The interview below first ran as the “Up Close” Q&A in latest issue of GOLF Magazine, which you can subscribe to here.

THE SCENE: From his home in Jupiter, Fla., on Wednesday of a welcome off week.

Dylan Dethier: How does a kid from small-town Ontario get into golf and then get really, really good?

Corey Conners: Well, golf is really popular in Canada. Obviously, hockey is huge in the winter, but golf is a very popular summer sport, and I was fortunate to grow up in a small community with a golf course nearby. My dad has always been an avid golfer — he still is — and introduced me to golf at a young age. So I was fortunate to have access to a golf course and eventually I started working there too. I spent a lot of time there in the summer months. I got my year’s worth of golf crammed into those six months.

DD: What was your job when you worked at the course?

CC: I started in the back of the shop. I was like 12 or 13 years old, cleaning clubs, getting people’s clubs in and out of storage, cleaning the carts, a little bit of picking the range and then sort of some odd jobs, filling divots on par 3s, a few random little things. Eventually I moved into the golf shop. I’d ride my bike up to the course. I worked there all through university, when I had time in the summers.

DD: Is that the only job you’ve ever had other than your current one?

CC: Actually, no. I worked in a pharmacy all through high school, so I’m a pharmacy technician as well as a golfer.

DD: No way.

CC: I had basically two jobs through high school, which kept me pretty busy. Fortunately, both jobs were accommodating if I needed time to go play tournaments or whatever. Also, my twin sister, Nicole, had the same two jobs, so she was kind of my bail-out. When I needed time off, she’d step in and take on some extra hours.

DD: Nice to have a reliable fill-in.

CC: She’s a doctor now.

DD: Pretty good! She ran with the pharmacy angle, and you stuck with the golf.

CC: For sure.

DD: You went to Kent State for college. All three of last year’s Canadian Presidents Cuppers — you, Mackenzie Hughes and Taylor Pendrith — went there. How does that happen?

CC: It comes back to the coach, Herb Page. He grew up in Canada before attending Kent State himself and, ultimately, coaching there for over 40 years. He was one of the first college coaches to recruit so frequently north of the border, and it paid off. Mac [Hughes] was a couple years ahead of me, and the roster was always a mix of Americans and Canadians, but everyone had great things to say about the program, so we had a ton of fun there.

DD: The Canadians on the PGA Tour are a pretty robust group, and it seems you guys are always together in practice rounds. Who sets that up?

CC: We’ve got a group chat, and you’ve got to be quick because in a lot of these big events now, there’s more than four of us, so if you’re late to respond you could be the odd man out. But every Tuesday we try and get something going.

DD: You’re coming off a top 10 at the Masters, which is your fourth in the last six years. What is it with you and Augusta National? What suits your eye there?

CC: Everything. From the moment you step on the property, it’s a special feeling, and I think the way the golf course is designed plays into my game. My iron play is definitely a strength, and it’s probably the most important skill out there. I don’t hit it quite long enough to be able to overpower the course, but I have a lot of patience, and with good iron play I give myself lots of looks and try and keep the stress level down out there. You can get yourself in some crazy spots pretty easily and I think just managing that and trying to keep things as simple as possible is typically my game plan. It’s something I’ve been able to do quite well there. But it’s such a fun place to play that, yeah, every result feels quite good. The more chances I get, the more times we get in contention — hopefully, I’ll be the owner of a green jacket one day.

DD: On- or off-course, what’s your favorite part of your job?

CC: Over the last few years, something I’ve really enjoyed is traveling with my family. On the course, it’s obviously a special feeling being inside the ropes and having that as your office. That’s hard to beat, so I know how lucky I am to have this job. The bonus is getting to go to new places with the family. There’s certainly challenges that go with traveling with two young kids, but [my wife and I] make the most of it and try to have fun.

DD: Your success hasn’t just been at the Masters. Two Tour wins so far, and this year you’ve already racked up five top 10s. Do you feel like you’re playing the best golf of your life right now?

CC: I definitely think so, and one of the reasons for that is my game’s become more well rounded. I’ve always been a good ball striker but maybe struggled on and around the greens at times. But this year, even if I haven’t hit it my best every week, I’ve found ways to score and get in the mix on the weekend. My focus has been to improve my wedge play and putting, so I’ve tried to put myself in uncomfortable situations in practice and see if I can execute. I’m excited with the way things are trending there; just going to keep sharpening. And then I just keep getting more comfortable at some of these venues, knowing how to get it done.

DD: What’s something that you’re looking forward to the rest of the year?

CC: It’s all good, really — the major championships, so many good venues on Tour. There’s just a lot to look forward to. But an exciting event for me is always the RBC Canadian Open. I grew up attending as a fan, and being able to play in front of the Canadian fans, that’s really special.

DD: Is there anything you wish somebody would ask you but nobody ever does?

CC: I don’t think so, no. Nothing too much going on under the hood here.