On Sunday, Canadian Corey Conners won his first PGA Tour title. Four days later, he sits at two-under-par and two strokes off the leaders at the Masters.
From Monday qualifier to PGA TOUR winner. From first man out to clubhouse leader.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 11, 2019
Corey Conners' whirlwind April continued with an opening-round 70, bucking the trend of first-group struggles at Augusta. pic.twitter.com/LqDlsBjfys
The Listowel, Ont., native, shot a 70 in the opening round on Thursday and even led at one point after he eagled the par-5, 15th hole after bogeying 13 and 14.
"Look, I'm a math and stats guy," Conners, 27, told the CBC. "I know I was very unlikely to be here. I can say with certainty that I didn't think I would be here, but it worked out very well."
Playing in the first grouping of day, the last man to qualify for the Masters started off slow but then picked up his game. He did bogey the last hole but is hoping to make it into the weekend; the last time he appeared at Augusta was in 2015 as an amateur and he did not make the cut.
“I felt quite comfortable,” he said after his round. “I knew I was striking the ball really well. I was a little cautious on the greens. I know how tricky they are, and how they can make you look silly. I tried to be fairly cautious with a lot of my putts, and I think my comfort on the greens will grow.”
Fellow countryman Mike Weir, who won the Masters in 2003, shot even on the day.
For Conners, he's looking to advance to the weekend and continue his solid play but first on the docket, as he told TSN's Bob Weeks, is watching the Maple Leafs take on the Bruins in Game 1 of their first-round Stanley Cup series.