Following strong result from Conners, Canadian women tee — Henderson & Sharp — off at Paris 2024
It didn’t take long for Corey Conners to realize that these Olympic Games were going to be much different than his last.
After making his Olympic golf debut at Tokyo 2020, an event that had no spectators in attendance due to the pandemic, Conners and the rest the men’s field were treated to four rounds of what he called a “phenomenal atmosphere” at Paris 2024.
“I think the fans here, they’ve really shown up and they’re here supporting everyone,” said Conners after finishing his final round on Sunday at Le Golf National. “A lot of French fans out here, being in Paris, but so many Canadians out there, it felt really special to be playing and be cheered on by them coming off of Tokyo where there was no fans. It was full throttle here and the fans were incredible.”
The crowd seemed to have a positive impact on Conners, who finished in a tie for ninth. He shot a final round 66 – his best in Paris – to finish the week 12-under, five shot back of the podium.
It’s the best finish for a Canadian man in Olympic golf in over 100 years. Conners’ 13th-place finish in Tokyo had been Canada’s best result since golf made its return to the Olympic Program at Rio 2016.
Canada’s George Lyon won Olympic gold in golf at St. Louis 1904.
“It was a solid round,” Conners said of his performance on Sunday. “I’m happy with the score I posted. But, it wasn’t far off being two, three, four better today. Gave myself a lot of opportunities, hit some good putts. I was able to make a few today but still wanting a little bit more out of the score, I guess. But overall lots of positives with where the game is at. I felt like I struck the ball really well and I was giving putts a good chance to go in these last few days and it just wasn’t meant to be.”
It’s been a strong few months for Conners, who also finished tied for ninth at the US Open and was sixth at the RBC Canadian Open.
“It’s a huge honour,” Conners said of the opportunity to play for Team Canada. “Would certainly like to be able to pull out a medal and show that off. But the experience is phenomenal and it’s really great to represent your country no matter what it is. But this is kind of the pinnacle of that and it’s a really memorable experience and I’m glad I got to share it with some family members and my wife here alongside me.”
Conners and Nick Taylor were the only Canadians to qualify for the men’s event. Taylor, making his Olympic debut, finished the week four-under to place him in a tie for 30th.
With the men’s tournament completed, attention now shifts to the women’s side, in which Canada’s Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp teed off on Wednesday. This will be the third straight Olympic Games for both.
“This week, I feel like coming here I could actually win now,” said Sharp, who finished 49th in Tokyo and 30th in Rio. “In Tokyo I didn’t think that. I wasn’t coming to participate but to do my best. The last two weeks playing before here were really solid. I had two really good finishes and came into my stride at the right time. I feel like I’m more confident as the week goes on and had good prep. So (I’m) ready to get started.”
Henderson will be looking to find the form she had in Rio where she finished in a tie for seventh, which is Canada’s best result in golf since Lyon’s gold medal in 1904. She was placed in a tie for 29th in Tokyo.
The 26-year-old picked up a few things watching the men play the course last week.
“It’s cool to see how the men played the course,” said Henderson. “There’s definitely things that the women will have to play differently. Just play to our strengths a little bit more. Whereas the men, they can probably hit it over the rough and still hit pretty great shots and hole the greens, where we have to be a little more strategic and I think fairways will probably be a little more important for us.”
Like the men, Henderson and Sharp qualified for Team Canada based on their standing on the Official World Golf Rankings at the close of the Olympic qualification period. Henderson was 14th on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.
Sharp, who captured bronze with Team Canada at the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games, expects this year’s field of women to be a strong one.
“I feel like women’s golf has gotten so much stronger since Rio 2016. And the competition – it’s tough to make the Olympic team and I think that the competition this week is going to be good.”