
Canadian Corey Conners 2 shots back at halfway point of Masters
CBC
Canadian Corey Conners finds himself in contention at the Masters after two rounds.
The Listowel, Ont., native shot a 2-under 70 for a share of third place on Friday, two shots back of leader Justin Rose.
Rose kept his name atop the leaderboard, and he doesn't have to look far to see an all-star collection of contenders lining up behind him.
U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is off to his best start in the Masters. Rory McIlroy made perhaps his greatest recovery at Augusta National.
And Scottie Scheffler?
The defending Masters champion did his best to survive the worst of the conditions, mainly wind that caused a little discomfort and a lot of uncertainty. He made five bogeys over his last 12 holes, the last one by going from under the magnolia, back to the fairway, over the green and then hitting a superb chip to limit the damage.
All that and he was only three behind after a 71.
Conners finished inside the top 10 at Augusta National in three consecutive years from 2000-22.
Conners arrived at the major in solid form after top-10 finishes in four of his nine PGA Tour events this season and looked very comfortable as he made his way around Augusta National.
Canadian Nick Taylor is tied for 28th after shooting a 71 on Friday.
Both 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir and fellow Canadian Taylor Pendrith missed the cut.
Rose, who took a three-shot lead into the second round, made short birdie putts at both par 3s on the back nine that allowed him to atone for a few mistakes on his way to a 1-under 71. He was one shot ahead of DeChambeau (68), two clear of McIlroy (66).
"That's the company that I expect to keep, and that's where I have tried to be my whole career," said Rose, whose lone major was the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion. "I've been a top-10 player in the world for a decade or more. So yeah, this is nice to be back in that mix."
He set the target at 8-under 136 for Scheffler and the rest of the players in the afternoon, as the wind began to snap flags and cause uncertainty, a most uncomfortable feeling at Augusta.