Monday qualifiers: Mayakoba Golf Classic
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FORT WORTH, TX - MAY 27: Corey Conners of Canada plays his shot from the sixth tee during the final round of the Fort Worth Invitational at Colonial Country Club on May 27, 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Corey Conners may have challenged for a PGA TOUR title less than two weeks ago, but he had to earn his spot in this week’s Mayakoba Golf Classic the hard way.
Conners shot 65 on Monday to qualify for the TOUR stop in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Eight days ago, Conners challenged Cameron Champ on the Sanderson Farms Championship’s final nine. Conners started Sunday four shots behind Champ, but caught him with a front-nine 33 and matched his birdie at the par-3 13th. He could only watch as Champ birdied four of the next five holes, as well.
Conners, who got married the week before the Sanderson, has conditional status this season after finishing 130th in the FedExCup. His runner-up finish at the Sanderson was the best of his career. He is 23rd in this season’s standings.
Conners has already had success when playing in a TOUR event after participating in the qualifier. He held the 54-hole lead at the Valspar Championship after participating in the Monday qualifier. Conners failed to get through the Valspar's qualifier but learned later that day that he'd made the field as an alternate. He held the 54-hole lead at Innisbrook before fading to 16th after a final-round 77.
COREY CONNERS (65)
Age: 26
Hometown: Listowel, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater: Kent State
PGA TOUR starts: 41
Cuts made: 22
Best finish: 2nd, 2018 Sanderson Farms Championship
Notes: Runner-up to Cameron Champ at the Sanderson Farms Championship was the second top-10 of his career. … 23rd in this season’s FedExCup standings. … Has conditional status after finishing 130th in last season’s FedExCup. … Runner-up in the 2014 U.S. Amateur after reaching the semifinals the previous year.
BRAD ADAMONIS (66)
Age: 45
Hometown: Cumberland, R.I.
Alma mater: Miami (Ohio)
PGA TOUR starts: 70
Cuts made: 28
Best finish: 2nd, 2008 John Deere Classic
Notes: Earned his first TOUR card in 2008 at age 35. … Had an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the 2008 John Deere Classic, but missed to fall into a playoff with Kenny Perry and Jay Williamson. … Perry won with a par after Adamonis and Williamson hit their approach shots into the water on the first playoff hole. … Three of Adamonis’ four career top-10s came in his rookie season. ... This will be his 10th TOUR start since losing his card after the 2009 season. … Has one Web.com Tour win, at the 2007 WNB Golf Classic.
MATT HUTCHINS (66)
Age: 21
Hometown: Sudbury, Mass.
Alma mater: Chico State/UCLA
PGA TOUR starts: Debut
Notes: Won the Maine Match Play and Maine Amateur in 2016. … Advanced to Round of 16 in 2018 North & South Amateur.
EAMONN McLOUGHLIN (66)
Age: 34
Hometown: Naples, Fla.
Alma mater: Virginia
PGA TOUR starts: 1
Cuts made: 0
Best finish: MC, 2009 Puerto Rico Open
THIS SEASON’S QUALIFIERS
Qualifiers: 12
Made cut: 6
Best finish: T4, Aaron Baddeley (Safeway Open)
Top-10s: 1
Top-25s: 2
SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN OPEN QUALIFIERS
T36. George Cunningham, 70-67-71-66
MC. Doug Ghim, 72-68
MC. Rob Oppenheim, 73-70
MC. Cole Nygren, 76-68
Sean Martin manages PGATOUR.COM’s staff of writers as the Lead, Editorial. He covered all levels of competitive golf at Golfweek Magazine for seven years, including tournaments on four continents, before coming to the PGA TOUR in 2013. Follow Sean Martin on Twitter.