Conners earns $502,391 at the US Open, plus the ticket to the Olympic team

PINEHURST — Lost in all the excitement of Bryson DeChambeau’s one-shot victory and Rory McIlroy’s shocking implosion at the US Open on Sunday was the steady, quiet even-par round of Canada’s Corey Conners.

Conners, 32, of Listowel, Ont., finished tied for ninth with Americans Davis Thompson and Sam Burns. The trio each earned $502,391 for their exceptional efforts.

Conners, however, also earned a trip to the Paris Olympics, joining Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., as Team Canada’s representatives in men’s golf. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is part of the women’s team heading to the 2024 Summer Games.

Conners needed to finish 11th or better at the US Open to earn an Olympic berth. It helped that the player he was trying to catch for the last Canadian spot — Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin — missed the cut at Pinehurst No. 2.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., needed to finish third or better at the US Open to overtake Hadwin, but ended up tied for 16th at 3 with Tommy Fleetwood and Akshay Bhatia. The three players each took home $299,218.

Conners, who competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, finished 13th in the individual stroke play. American Xander Schauffele won the gold medal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press