It wasn’t the start Canadians were hoping for.
The duo of Corey Conners and Mike Weir could not find their grooves early Thursday morning, shooting 8-over and 10-over par, respectively.
The 23-year-old Conners started steady with four straight pars, before running into trouble with a string of bogeys. The Listowel, Ont., native had his hands full with the famously quick greens of Augusta National—averaging 1.89 putts-per-hole with two three-putts.
The National Amateur Squad member managed to finish the day on a positive note, birdying the par-4 18th . Conners will look to ride that momentum into tomorrow’s second round.
Paired alongside Conners in the 8:18am tee time was 2003 Masters Champion, Mike Weir. The Brights Grove, Ont., native had a difficult time mirroring his championship form, carding a 10-over par 82.
“Oh, a ball of laughs,” Weir told the Vancouver Sun’s Cam Cole.
“It’s just getting the strength and endurance in this (right) arm to last longer. It just seems to fatigue. In my mind I want to keep my swing short but the arm just keeps bending — and that’s just the ligament and the strength in my forearm.”
Corey Conners’ Scorecard:
Click here to view a summary of Conners’ round.
Mike Weir’s Scorecard:
Click here to view a summary of Weir’s round.