A tremendous start from Corey Conners on Friday meant he could play freely the rest of the day at the Players Championship. Through 36 holes at TPC Sawgrass, he’s got a solid chance to win the PGA Tour’s crown jewel event.
The Canadian made five birdies in his first six holes and ended up with a 5-under 67 . He’s 8 under through two days and is just four shots back of Ludvig Aberg, who shot the low round of the week so far, a 9-under 63, on Friday afternoon.
“Obviously I did a lot of things well early in the round, and really my focus was just trying to continue to do what I was doing: Get it in play off the tee and give myself birdie looks. Helps when you get off to a start like that,” Conners said. “And felt like I could play free and try to keep playing free and keep giving myself as many chances as I could.”
Conners, who finished tied for sixth at the Players last season, ended up dunking his approach on the par-5 9th from just over 100 yards for an eagle and a front-nine 6-under 30. He made three bogeys on his back nine, including a tough-pill-to-swallow one on No. 18.
“A few mistakes out there ultimately, but it was a good day,” Conners said.
It was a tremendous turnaround for Conners with the putter as compared to Thursday, which was the ultimate difference maker in the second round.
Conners missed seven putts that were 15-feet-or-less on Thursday – including six for birdies – and lost almost a stroke-a-half to the field on the greens. Friday was a different story. He gained almost a stroke-and-a-half in the second round with the putter (moving from 95th in strokes gained: putting to 29th in the same statistic) and was second in strokes gained: approach the green on Friday.
“It started off as a full ball-hitting clinic. He never missed a shot for the first seven or eight holes,” Conners’ coach Derek Ingram told Sportsnet.ca via text. “And he’s feeling great with the putter.”
Conners’ ball striking has been dialled right in through 36 holes – having missed just six fairways in two days – and Friday he was able to convert his birdie chances, making putts of 21 feet, six feet, two feet, and 14 feet in his first four holes.
Conners found a good feel with his putter Thursday and that carried over into Friday. Statistically, Conners had his best-ever putting year in 2025 but has struggled so far in 2026 in the category.
Alas, Conners is a self-professed “momentum” putter, and seeing a long one drop on the first hole Friday – his opening 21-footer was just two feet shorter than the longest putt he’s made all season (23 feet at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am) – was “big,” he said.
“Kind of got me on a good run where I was able to have some freedom and knock in a bunch of chances I gave myself, especially early in the round,” Conners explained.
“Feel like there has been glimpses of goof stuff (this season) but just haven’t been getting the results that I want. Comfortable with the ball striking, that’s tightened up a little bit and have been able to covert the birdie chances I’ve given myself.”
Conners sits tied for fourth through two days alongside 2019 Players Championship winner Justin Thomas. Xander Schauffele is in second at 10 under, and Cameron Young is in third at 9 under.
Young and Conners will make up the penultimate pairing for the third round.
Canadians Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor, and Sudarshan Yellamaraju – a rookie on the PGA Tour and making his debut at The Players this week – are set to make the cut, while A.J. Ewart and Mackenzie Hughes had early exits.