‘Why not me?’ says PGA Championship leader Conners

Canadian Corey Conners, taking confidence from two top-10 Masters finishes in the past six months, began Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Championship figuring somebody could seize command.

“I knew in my preparation it was possible to have a decent round, shoot a 5- or 6-under par round,” Conners said.

“So kind of started the day thinking, ‘Why not me?'”

Conners, chasing his first major title, fired a five-under par 67 to seize the 18-hole lead at windy Kiawah Island, what he called his most complete round of the year.

“It was a really special round. I did a lot of things really well,” Conners said. “I’m really pleased with the score.”

Conners, ranked 39th, was 10th at the Masters last November and eighth at Augusta National last month, when he fired a hole-in-one.

Against the blustery winds of Kiawah’s Ocean Course, Conners holed birdies from 32, 33 and 56 feet in a stunning display at a course that battered many of the world’s top players.

“It was really nice to see some mid-range birdie putts fall in the hole. Really gave me confidence,” Conners said. “Felt like I rolled it really well. A lot of putts had chances to go in and I made some nice saves, as well.”

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Conners, 29, kept his cool when forced to play from the sand and handled major pressure as if it were more than his 10th major start.

“I definitely felt calm out there. It was fun,” he said. “Just trying to play solid golf, and I was able to do that so felt very comfortable, very calm out there.

“You can’t fall asleep out there on any holes. It’s very challenging. Made it as least stressful as possible on myself. I hit a lot of really good shots and holed some nice putts early in the round, and that really helped boost the confidence. Played with a lot of freedom.”

Conners, an NHL Toronto Maple Leafs fan hoping the team can win its first Stanley Cup since 1967, won’t lose sleep to watch them play this week as he concentrates on his own trophy bid.

“No chance of staying up ’til the end of the game. I’ll be probably in bed before the third period starts,” he said.

Conners is confident it will be worth the sacrifice.

“Definitely I have a lot of belief in myself, and I’ve been playing well for quite a while,” he said. “I’m excited for opportunity to play against the best players in the world and put my game to the test.

“I have a lot of confidence in my game and I’m excited for the rest of the weekend. Didn’t try to force it to happen but definitely saw myself having a good day and hopefully can keep that up the rest of the weekend.”

Meanwhile, four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, 2011 PGA winner Keegan Bradley, fellow American Aaron Wise, Norway’s Viktor Hovland, Australia’s Cam Davis and England’s Sam Horsfield were in a second-place pack on 69.

Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson was in an eighth-place group on 70, the 50-year-old US left-hander turning back the clock after four bogeys in the first six holes with four of his six birdies on the back nine to share seventh.

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, who can complete a career Grand Slam with a victory, opened on 73 while top-ranked Dustin Johnson opened on 76.

Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, the 2012 PGA winner at Kiawah, made six bogeys while Justin Thomas had three bogeys and a double bogey, all involving the sandy waste areas that penalized off-target shots. Both shot 75.

A group featuring three reigning major champions produced mixed results with defending champion Collin Morikawa on 70, US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau on 72 despite four bogeys in a row and Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama of Japan on 73.