John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press
The Masters marks the unofficial begin of spring for Canadian golfers, however Golf Canada’s chief government officer is hopeful that it might imply a bit of bit extra this yr.
Laurence Applebaum says watching the primary main of the boys’s golf season at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership is historically a sign to leisure gamers that it’s time to begin enjoying once more. However with Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., within the subject, he likes the probabilities of a Canadian profitable the occasion.
“Canadians really feel like this can be a particular week, as a result of it’s type of the unofficial begin of our out of doors season,” stated Applebaum in a cellphone interview as he travelled to Georgia. “So many Canadians are actually enjoying all yr spherical, however as we watch the Masters on TV, we discover that that is our likelihood to get able to swing golf equipment outdoors.”
Weir is the one Canadian man to win one among golf’s majors, incomes the inexperienced jacket on the 2003 Masters. Though it impressed the present era of golfers like Conners and Taylor, nobody has replicated the feat at Augusta, the U.S. Open, the British Open or the PGA Championship.
Applebaum stated he thinks the time is true for a Canadian man to as soon as once more win a serious. He stated that it’s partly as a result of Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos, Calgary’s Aphrodite Deng and Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., all did so nicely eventually week’s Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner and set the tone for his or her fellow Canadians.
It was the primary time that three Canadians participated within the elite occasion and all three of them made the minimize, with Borovilos tying for eleventh.
“We’ve had a extremely particular begin already with three of our Crew Canada athletes enjoying within the Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner and our greatest end ever by Vanessa Borovilos,” stated Applebaum. “However to the primary occasion, which is the Masters event, I simply suppose the world of each Nick Taylor and Corey Conners.
“I feel we’re primed for perhaps a breakout week for one among them on the event this yr.”
Of any Canadian, Conners has come the closest to profitable at Augusta not too long ago. He’s cracked the highest 10 4 occasions over the previous six years, tying for tenth in 2020, tying for eighth in 2021, tying for sixth in 2022 and tying for eighth once more final yr.
“I really like the golf course, love the way it units up,” stated Conners. “I really feel like my iron play has been on quite a lot of these years and that’s an necessary side of the sport.
“You want every part to be working to contend right here, however the iron play has been sharp and that’s positively helped me.”
It’s grow to be a particular Masters custom that Weir invitations no matter Canadians make the sector to play a observe spherical with him on the Tuesday of event week. Taylor stated he relishes the ritual.
“You get the textual content from Mike a month or two out and schedule it in,” stated Taylor after this yr’s observe spherical. “It was a whole lot of enjoyable. The climate is superior. The golf course is considerably receptive, however figuring out the forecast, it’s going to solely get firmer.
“It’s at all times only a nice stroll round Tuesday morning.”
Taylor will tee off with Individuals Keegan Bradley and Ryan Gerard on Thursday morning then Weir will play with American Wyndham Clark and Argentine novice Mateo Pulcini. Conners is in a day group with England’s Harry Corridor and Michael Brennan of the USA.
