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National Post

Corey Conners rallies late at The Open, Nick Taylor leaves Portrush frustrated

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Corey Conners is the only Canadian left standing after two days at the Open Championship, and it took a furious Friday finish at Royal Portrush for him to get it done. Article content Conners made back-to-back birdies and hole Nos. 15 and 16 to reach one-over par and make the 36-hole cut right on the number Article content 'I did kind of know where I stood, especially on 16,' the Canadian told the Toronto Sun after his round. 'I saw that the cut was still at one over. I thought it would have moved to two. I saw that and kind of knew that I had to give myself some birdie looks.' Article content One hole earlier on the 15th tee, Conners caddie Danny Sahl told his player, 'We got lots of golf left.' Article content 'I don't really know why I said it,' Sahl said after the round, but it didn't hurt as Conners' rally was about to begin. Article content It was a tough two days with the putter for the 33-year-old from Listowel, Ont. Article content 'I just feel like I'm not making great strikes on it,' Conners said about his putting. 'With the greens being slower here I have to pick up the pace on the stroke a little bit and I don't feel like the ball is coming off solidly.' Article content Article content The good news is after some struggles with his irons trying to navigate the firm links turf, Conners has his trademark ball-striking dialled in heading to the last two days. Article content 'I hit the ball really wonderfully today, a lot of great iron shots,' he said. 'So the plan is to keep going that and get the putter going and I'll be all right.' Article content The weather brought a little bit, and in some cases a lot, of everything on Friday. Article content 'It was beautiful in the warm-ups and then started pouring when we started the round. Then it got nice again, and then it rained again. Umbrella up and down all day.' Article content The end result after 36 holes for Conners was a chance to play another two days, which is something none of the other three Canadians will do. Article content Article content Taylor Pendrith never recovered from beginning his Open Championship career on Thursday morning with an out-of-bounds tee shot. After starting Thursday four over through four holes, Pendrith played the next 32 holes in one-under par, but it wasn't enough as he missed the cut by two at three over. Article content 'I made a couple of steps forward this year but I missed two of the four cuts,' Taylor told the Sun. 'It sucks. I know my game is good, I just have to clean up the dumb stuff like yesterday to compete.' Article content Taylor won the Sony Open in January and entered the week 15th in the FedEx Cup standings. Article content 'At majors the line between a decent shot and the spot where you're probably going to make bogey is finer than at regular tournaments,' he said. 'And it's not that I have to learn that, I know it. I just have to not do it.'