Corey Conners came from a small town but has big dreams on the PGA TOUR

Corey Conners’ grandparents lived next door to a house in Listowel, Ontario, that had a well-groomed putting green in the backyard. He’d visit, swim in their pool, and peek through the black chain-link fence at the green as often as he could.

Turns out that home belonged to the parents of his future wife, Malory. But he wasn’t even sneaking a glance at her. No, he always had an eye for golf.

Malory, who gained a modicum of Internet fame for her reactions to her husband’s final-round heroics during his win at this year’s Valero Texas Open, said none of her family even played golf, but her dad decided to make a putting green in the backyard.

“I was more jealous of the pool,” said Malory, who became a lifeguard in high school, “and he was jealous of our putting green.”

Corey moved to Listowel, a town of 7,500 that is two hours west of downtown Toronto, in high school. Though Corey and Malory have since moved to South Florida, Listowel is still announced as Corey’s hometown on the first tee of PGA TOUR events, as well.

He spent much of his life in an even smaller town. Born in Kitchener, Conners moved to the one-stoplight town of Palmerston (population 2,600) when he was 2, and was there for more than a decade before going to high school in Listowel and returning there after school.

From those small towns came a big dream.

GROWING UP

Like most of his countrymen, the soft-spoken Conners played hockey until he was a teenager. He loved the game but realized that he wasn’t as tough as his on-ice competitors.

He still carries his yardage books in a Toronto Maple Leafs-branded cover and roots for the team, but golf became his main game when he was 15.

He was always passionate about golf – so much so he ignored the literal girl-next-door – and already amassing an impressive junior resume.

One of Conners’ legendary countrymen helped his pursuit. Moe Norman was a ball-striking savant. Tiger Woods once said that he and Ben Hogan were the only two players who ever “owned” their swings.

Norman, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 75, and Conners met one day at Conners’ home course. There was a PGA of Canada event going on that day and Norman was watching the tournament with a member of the Maue family – a big golf family in Kitchener that looked after him. Conners was grinding on the putting green. Norman walked over and started looking through Conners’ bag.

After chatting for a bit, Norman gifted him a customized driver with a more flexible shaft than the one Conners was using.

Conners won a pre-teen national title with that driver in his bag. Unfortunately, Norman passed away before Conners had a chance to thank him. Conners’ junior career also included a win at the 2010 Ontario Amateur, where he shot a final-round 65 to come from five shots back. He was named to Golf Canada’s national junior team when he was 17 years old and made the men’s team the next year.

While Corey never mustered the courage to use his future in-laws’ practice green on the other side of the fence – “I was always really timid,” he said -- he did have his own golfing escape in the form of the Listowel Golf Club.

A 27-hole facility, Conners said he’s likely played thousands of rounds there. There’s a deep family connection, too: Conners’ grandfather and father are long-time members and his father was the president of the club at one point.

Brenden Parsons, the director of operations at Listowel Golf Club (and the unofficial president of the Corey Conners fan club, at least on Twitter), says Conners has – despite the bump in his bank account and stardom – remained the same kind of person he’s always been.

Conners worked at the club growing up along with his twin sister, Nicole. One day after turning professional – and when Nicole was unavailable – he showed up to work in the pro shop in full sponsor attire.

“He’s just such a decent person to cheer for,” Parsons said. “He’s not cocky. He doesn’t walk around like he deserves to win. He walks around like he’s going to work at it and eventually it’s going to happen.”

Conners’ hard work earned the attention of Herb Page, the longtime coach at Kent State in Ohio. Future PGA TOUR winner Mackenzie Hughes was one of Conners’ teammates. Page, who also hails from Canada, also coached major winner Ben Curtis at Kent State.

Conners had a successful college career. He twice advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur, including a runner-up finish in 2014.

Conners was always good with numbers and translated that into a degree in actuarial mathematics at Kent State. Actuarial mathematics is, essentially, the study of risk. It’s not the typical major for a PGA TOUR player, but it can come in handy on the golf course.

LONG DISTANCE

Malory caught the TV cameras’ attention with her exuberant reactions on the final holes of the Valero Texas Open. She nervously watched as he approached his shots, but she also had plenty to cheer about. Corey shot a back-nine 30 to hold off Charley Hoffman.

She wasn’t quite as excited about the game when she and Corey started dating during their second year of college. She quickly learned that being in a relationship with a golfer requires a lot of sacrifice.

The day after Malory and Corey went on their first date, Corey left for Calgary to play a Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada event. He was gone most of the summer.

“Right away I was like, ‘Oh this is how it’s going to be,’” said Malory, who was a little skeptical of a long-distance relationship at the time.

“I just didn’t see how it was going to work with him being away and me being at school (in Canada). But I agreed to give it a try and I’m obviously glad I did.”

The drive from Malory’s school to Kent State was about five hours. She made the drive often because of Corey’s unpredictable, and busy, golf schedule.

“We had that discussion early on that we’d have to see each other not all the time, obviously. It was something we were willing to give a try and it worked out,” said Corey.

Malory, who didn’t play golf growing up – and still doesn’t – says she knew Corey was good, but didn’t know how far his skills would take him. She knew his goal was to play professionally and admired how dedicated and confident he was.

Corey would eventually play the better part of two seasons on the Mackenzie Tour, a full season on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, and a full season on the Web.com Tour before earning his PGA TOUR card. He started this season with conditional status after finishing 130th in the FedExCup.

“We never knew what was going to happen, but he always had that confidence that that’s what he was going to do, and everything was going to be OK,” she said.

He had to Monday qualify for events at the start of this season, or wait for last-minute phone calls informing him that he squeaked into the field. The unpredictability was something the couple – who got married Oct. 20, 2018 – was used to.

They spent the week after their wedding in Jackson, Mississippi, where Corey was playing the Sanderson Farms Championship. He finished second to Cameron Champ, an important finish that put this successful season in motion.

They still haven’t been on a honeymoon.

“I have to make up to her for that,” Corey said sheepishly.

MORE TO COME

Conners is playing his sixth RBC Canadian Open this week. He’s never finished better than 80th, but he’s also never returned home with a PGA TOUR title under his belt.

When Conners played his first Canadian Open, it was the first time any member of Listowel Golf Club had played a PGA TOUR event as a professional.

Parsons bought a flag for Conners to sign and they put it on a wall. The next year at Royal Montreal, he did the same thing. Then Conners played more events, including the Masters in 2014 after finishing runner-up at the U.S. Amateur.

“I thought, ‘I’m going to need a bigger hallway,’” Parsons said with a laugh. “We had to be a little more choosy for what we put on the wall.”

Featured prominently now are some goodies from Conners’ first PGA TOUR win from April at the Valero Texas Open.

The win didn’t come easy – Conners was 4 under through his first five holes Sunday, then made four bogeys in a row to close out his front nine. He shot 6-under on the back nine to eventually win by two – but you could feel the whole of Listowel cheering him on that week.

“I definitely felt the love,” said Conners, who will likely be one of the most popular players in the field at this week’s RBC Canadian Open, since Hamilton Golf and Country Club is just 90 minutes from Listowel.

“To have so many local fans feels so awesome. Growing up in a small town I definitely feel a lot of support from the community.”

Because of his conditional status Conners had to Monday qualify for the Texas Open. He was the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA TOUR since Arjun Atwal at the 2011 Wyndham Championship.

Conners doesn’t have to worry about Monday qualifying anymore. The victory came with a two-year exemption. He can set his sights higher. He’s in the top 30 in the FedExCup as he pursues his first trip to the TOUR Championship.

Malory, meanwhile, laughs at how the internet turned her into a meme – especially since the image that got the most attention was of her holding a plastic cup of white wine. It was the only glass she had all day, and came at what she calls the ‘peak stress level’ as she watched her husband fulfill a lifelong dream.

“(Winning on the PGA TOUR) has always been his dream and to share it in coming true was just really emotional. Golf is always been a big part of Corey’s life, but now it’s mine too. It’s our life together,” she says. “I’ve struggled with it at times. It’s a unique lifestyle that comes with a lot of highs but also many lows, which we’ve experienced together over the years. There has been so much uncertainty and a lot of time apart but I’ve always believed in him.

“To see all of his hard work and dedication pay off was really rewarding, and it just confirmed this is where we’re supposed to be.”

One thing that never wavered was the big support from the couples’ tiny town.

“It’s just really cool to see that everyone is so supportive and so happy for us,” Malory said. “We’re just so blown away and grateful for the support from our town.”