Corey Conners was joined by Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland at the top of the PGA Championship leaderboard after two rounds, but he briefly separated himself in difficult conditions at Oak Hill on Saturday.
Conners held a two-stroke lead for a stretch before a double bogey on the 16th hole dropped him one stroke behind eventual 54-hole leader Brooks Koepka entering Sunday's final round.
The leaderboard has plenty of familiar names and major champions, including Scheffler, Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy. Can Conners be a spoiler and earn his first major win?
He's not just playing for his own legacy this weekend. Conners is representing an entire country at the PGA Championship.
MORE: Tee times, pairings for Sunday's PGA Championship Round 4
Here's a look at where Conners is from and where he played as an amateur.
Where is Corey Conners from?
Conners is from Listowel, Ont. He was born in nearby Kitchener and raised in Listowel. Conners has represented Canada in international play. He's attempting to become the first Canadian to win the PGA Championship.
Despite being born across the border, Conners isn't competing too far from his hometown this weekend. Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., is less than a four-hour drive from Listowel, so he might feel a bit more at home than some of his American competitors.
Conners is living in the U.S. The 31-year-old and his wife, Malory, call Jupiter, Fla., home.
Where did Corey Conners go to college?
Conners attended college in the U.S. He played golf at Kent State in Ohio along with fellow Canadian and PGA Championship competitor Taylor Pendrith. Conners and Pendrith shared the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year award for the 2013-14 season.
Conners played in the 2015 Masters less than a year after he graduated, and then turned professional the following week.
MORE: PGA Championship purse, payout breakdown
Is Corey Conners an LIV Golfer?
Conners is not an LIV Golf player. He joined the PGA Tour in 2015 and has remained on it ever since. It doesn't sound as though he plans to make a change.
Asked by the Toronto Sun last year whether he had any interest in joining LIV Golf, Conners said, “No, not really. Life’s so good on the PGA Tour. I’m really happy."
"I’m intrigued by what’s happening and I can’t blame some of the guys for going, but it’s not right for me," he added.
MORE: Tracking scores for LIV Golfers at PGA Championship
Has Corey Conners won a major?
Conners has not yet won a major in his career. He hasn't finished in the top five in any major. He has two PGA Tour wins.
Conners' highest finish in a major came at the 2022 Masters, when he finished sixth. Scheffler won the tournament. Conners' best finish at the PGA Championship came in 2021, when he tied for 17th.
