After an opening round at the 154th Open Championship that saw one bogey and 17 pars, Corey Conners took the lid off his birdie jar at Royal Birkdale on Friday, posting a score of three-under 67 thanks to six birdies.<\/p>\n
While he made just a single birdie on the first nine holes, he got on a roll on the back, carding five birdies including four in a row from 14 to 17. The other back-nine birdie came on the par-3 12th when he hit his tee shot to eight inches.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat last seven holes, I guess,\u201d said Conners. \u201cFive birdies, got on a nice little run. Didn\u2019t quite have my best stuff to start the day but was hanging in there and trying to be patient. Fortunately, started hitting some good ones and making some putts.\u201d<\/p>\n
As much as his putter improved from Thursday, it was his marksmanship into the greens that shined. Five of his six birdies were from inside 12 feet, with two of them inside two feet. His longest birdie putt of the day was thanks to a 25-footer he holed on the par-4 16th.<\/p>\n
The run of four birdies from 14 to 17 saw him start by using his putter for his third shot from off the green on the par-5 14th. A brilliant stroke up the hill left him just over three feet for his first birdie.<\/p>\n
On the par-3 15th, his tee shot landed seven feet behind the hole setting up another relatively easy birdie putt. On 16, he teed off with a five-iron and then hit a nine-iron into the green. He rolled in the putt from 25 feet away for a third consecutive birdie. The last of the quartet was on the par-5 17th where a third-shot wedge left him a foot and a half.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlayed those holes kind of how you\u2019re supposed to play them, I guess,\u201d summed up the Canadian.<\/p>\n
With the strong round, Conners jumped up the leaderboard and assured himself of a tee time on the weekend. It also extended his streak of consecutive cuts made in majors to 13.<\/p>\n
As for a weekend game plan, he knows a fast start would be beneficial. So far, the front nine is playing more than two shots easier than the back, although Conners has made the most of the later holes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tricky,\u201d he admitted. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be on from the get-go. I just think there\u2019s some birdie opportunities at the beginning of the round, and I\u2019ve been plus one after four holes the last few days. So, a little bit better start, maybe get one or two to start the round and get some momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Low scores were plentiful on Friday with both Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns posting rounds of 62. Those equaled the lowest scores in men\u2019s major championship history.<\/p>\n
The two players came at the magical score from different aspects. Herbert, who missed a three-foot putt for a 61, said he was thinking about a record round after making birdies on the first three holes. Burns wasn\u2019t aware of his accomplishment until after the round.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven that whole back nine today, it was not lost on me the amount of history in major championships and the opportunity I had to obviously break the record,\u201d he said, \u201cbut then to tie it as well is still something I\u2019m really proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no idea until they told me up there,\u201d said Burns. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize that was the case. Yeah, I\u2019m very pleased with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
After completing their rounds, Herbert led by two shots at eight under, while Burns was three behind.<\/p>\n
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