Tiger opens Bridgestone with 4-under 66

Corey Conners is a Canadian who now lives in South Florida, so you may not expect cowboy boots to be part of his wardrobe. He was wearing a pair around his house earlier this week, though. The boots, which he earned for winning last year’s Valero Texas Open, gave him a boost of “positive energy� during these tough times, he said. Conners was scheduled to defend his title this week at TPC San Antonio before the coronavirus pandemic put the world on hold. Conners made 10 birdies in his final round last year to become the first Monday qualifier to win on TOUR since 2010. He took some time Wednesday to meet with reporters in a conference call. Conners and his wife, Malory, also will be going live on the PGA TOUR’s Instagram account at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Here are some highlights from Wednesday’s call: What have you been up to? I’ve had the clubs away for the most part. I don’t really have a plan for getting back into competitive mode. I’ve just been trying to stay inside, enjoying time with my wife, a little bit of reading and Xbox and doing workouts in the gym in our house, trying to stay in good shape. What’s your favorite book you’ve read, and what Xbox games have you played? I read the book Pound the Stone. It’s a really good book about work ethic. It’s by Josh Metcalf. He has another one called Chop Wood, Carry Water. As for Xbox, it’s pretty simple right now. I’ve never had a game system or been a gamer but I’ve been playing NHL and racing games. That’s pretty much it. I’m just trying to peck away at the NHL to get my skills respectable enough where I could challenge some people online, but right now I have a lot of work to do there. Can you start by taking us back through your memories of last year’s win? I have a lot of great memories. It’s been a sort of refreshing mental activity to remember the good stuff I did last year and getting my first win. There were a lot of highs from that week, especially from that last round. Making 10 birdies was pretty awesome, and proving to myself that I was able to get it done was pretty awesome. I’m looking forward to getting back in that position. When you look back at that final round, there were a lot of ups and downs. When you look back at your emotions that day, what stands out? Things were pretty high after the first five holes. I made four birdies and got off to a terrific start. Then making four bogeys to finish the front nine was definitely a low but I learned a lot from that moment. I had gotten ahead of myself. Making the turn, I was able to reset. I was able to make some birdies starting the back nine and I didn’t get ahead of myself that time. I was really focused and relaxed. Even within the round I learned some things. You were in a position to represent Canada in the Olympics, but they were obviously postponed. How disappointed are you? Obviously it was disappointing. I’d worked really hard. It was a goal of mine the past couple years. Things have happened that are out of my control, but it’s still motivating. Representing Canada in Japan would be a really awesome achievement and a dream come true. Ever since golf was announced in the Olympics, I’ve wanted to represent Canada. Does Malory still get recognized from the telecast? Yeah, for sure. She’s been getting some love this week as we kind of look back on last year and her emotions. It was pretty awesome. People definitely still recognize her. There were a lot of instances after the win where we’d be in an airport or restaurant where people would recognize.

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A small wooden bridge at the base of this week’s trophy on the PGA TOUR symbolizes the bridge to the 18th hole at Jeju Island’s most famous golf course. That’s appropriate, because if you want to win THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, the last bridge is arguably the most important to cross in style.  “It’s bizarre,â€� Justin Thomas said of the 568-yard, par-5 finisher, which features two fairways separated by trees and native area, and ends at a green surrounded by sand, rough and water. “The wind changes it a lot.â€� RELATED: Tee times | Who’s comfortable at NINE BRIDGES | Power Rankings Nine Bridges is a 7,241-yard, par 72 with four par 5s. It features black-rock outcroppings and volcano views and is sometimes compared to Maui, but the real dazzler is the 18th, one of the wildest holes on TOUR. For starters, it’s basically two holes in one.   The aggressive line at the signature hole is to carry the two pot bunkers on the left to reach the lower landing zone, giving yourself the shortest distance to reach the green in two. Thomas got there with only a pitching wedge in 2017. But only with the wind at your back is it even possible to reach that left fairway from the tee. Wind, the X factor at Jeju, demands a different approach. Literally. Into the wind, the target is the right fairway – it’s easier to reach, but leaves a much longer second shot with anything from a long iron to a 3-wood. Often, the prudent play from the right fairway is to not even go for the green in two.   “When it’s into the wind, I mean, I don’t go for that left fairway,â€� said Thomas, who won the inaugural CJ CUP two years ago. “I hit 3-wood up top (to the right), and if I can go for it, I do. It’s very, very weird lay up if you have to lay up.  “It’s a funky finishing hole, but it can provide for some fireworks if it’s close.â€� Simply put, the hole rewards length. “It’s a big advantage for a long hitter if he’s coming to the 18th needing a birdie,â€� said Adam Scott, who played it in 3 under last year but isn’t in the field this time around. Abraham Ancer calls the hole “unique,â€� while both Gary Woodland, last year’s runner-up to Brooks Koepka, and Marc Leishman go so far as to call it “a great risk-reward hole.â€� This, despite the fact that Leishman splashed his second shot in the water on 18 to lose to Thomas on the second playoff hole two years ago. The 18th gave up 25 eagles and 123 birdies last year, and was the second easiest on the course with a 4.58 stroke average. There were also 27 bogeys, four doubles, and two “others.â€� The wind dictates everything. David Dale of Golfplan Dale & Ramsey Golf Course Architects, in Santa Rosa, California, said he designed the hole to give players an option off the tee, but didn’t foresee the day when someone would play it driver, wedge, putt. “It was heroic to reach in two, but not anymore for the pros,â€� Dale said. “The way the hole plays now, it’s on its knees begging for wind.â€� If he’d known how technology would change the game, he added, he would have added another 25-30 yards and crowned the green slightly to repel shots. When Koepka eagled 18 to shoot 64 and win by four last year, it was his second eagle of the week on the hole as he played it in 5 under. But it was Thomas’ opening-round drive in 2017 that first opened eyes. “He can throw it on with that drive,â€� Rich Lerner said on the Golf Channel telecast. “He took it over everything,â€� Frank Nobillo added, not bothering to hide his awe. “You’ve gotta see this hole to believe where that drive went.â€� Thomas hit wedge to the green on the way to an eagle, completing a 29 on his first nine – the back – as he stormed out of the gate with a 63. Then things got hard.  He bogeyed the hole the next day, and by the last day, the wind had switched 180 degrees and howled into the players’ faces. Forced to go down the right fairway, he and Leishman scratched out pars on the first extra playing of 18. On the second, Thomas had 243 yards to the green in two, and hit an epic 3-wood to the front collar. Leishman tried a similar shot and found the water.   “I wouldn’t really call it a split fairway because it’s not like you have the option every time you play,â€� Thomas said. “It’s like 320 to that (left) fairway. If it’s downwind, I’d say 90% of the guys are hitting it left, but if it’s into the wind, 10% are hitting it left.â€� Added Leishman: “It gets pretty windy there, and a lot of the time you can’t even think about going left. If you have to go right, it’s actually a pretty tough tee shot. And it obviously makes the second shot a lot longer; you’ve got to hit a really good shot to get on the green in two.â€�  He paused, rethinking the comment. “Two really good shots, actually,â€� he said.

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