It was nearly the career changing week that wasn’t for Corey Conners who emerged from a 6 for 1 playoff on Monday just to get into the field of the Valero Texas Open, a tournament he would go on to win only 6 days later. The victory not only gives Conners the trophy and a payday worth $1,350,000, it also punched the last possible ticket to The Masters, vaulted him to 13th in the Fed-Ex Cup standings, and secures his PGA Tour card through the end of the 2021 season. It also makes him the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA Tour in nearly a decade and only the fifth since 1980.
The first win of his young PGA Tour career didn’t come easy for the 27 year-old Canadian who is in his second season on the PGA Tour. Conners entered the final round one shot back and jumped out to an early 4 stroke lead after just 5 holes, rattling off birdies at 1, 3, 4 and 5. Four uncharacteristic bogeys in a row to finish the front nine though put him one shot back at the turn and the momentum had clearly shifted. Conners then dug deep and hit a wedge from 146 yards on the 10th to tap in range to regain a share of the lead and steady the ship. Another wedge to 3-feet on 11 and another birdie gave him a solo lead he would not relinquish the rest of the way in. The round saw him make 10 birdies (29 for the week), shoot 30 on the back nine, and lead in virtually every ball striking statistic.
Conners wore the Levelwear “Flurry” polo in blue curacuo on his way to victory Sunday, a fitting name for the flurry of activity on his score card leading to four consecutive rounds in the 60’s on one of the most challenging setups on tour. The lightweight heathered polo features a waffle texture, welded shoulder seams and laser cut buttons as well as Smart Temp technology that cools the wearer when triggered by body heat, a feature that surely kicked in down the pressure packed home stretch.
“Corey is such a talented athlete, a great role-model to young Canadian golfers, and represents the Levelwear brand with the utmost of style and class so we are so thrilled to see him succeed as he has” said Levelwear President, Hilton Ngo.
In a post round interview talking about his day Conners said “I just sort of reset after the turn and told myself I can do it and to have trust in my game and I was able to make some birdies and hit some quality shots down the stretch.” Sounding like the champion he now is he added, “I was really relaxed and had a lot of confidence in my game. I wasn’t worried about what was going on around me, I just kept breathing, and didn’t get ahead of myself so I’m happy with how I handled myself. The last hole was a bit of a blur though”.
Conners will look to keep the momentum going this week as he takes on the best in the world at Augusta National for The Masters.
About Levelwear:
Levelwear has established enduring business verticals in licensed and team sports, golf apparel, and men’s and women’s lifestyle wear, with core strengths of innovation, decoration, and industry leading service. The company holds licensing partnerships with some of the top global brands, including Major League Baseball, the NHL and NHLPA, NBA, CFL, 140 US Colleges, and various soccer properties (Bayern Munich, Paris St. Germain, Juventus, Celtics, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, etc.) globally. For more information, please visit www.levelwear.com.