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‘The whole town is buzzing’: Local club celebrates as Listowel’s Corey Conners wins first PGA title

Corey Conners celebrates after sinking a putt on the 18th hole to win the Texas Open golf tournament, Sunday, April 7, 2019, in San Antonio. Eric Gay / AP Photo

Sports fans in Listowel, Ont., are thrilled with the news that local golfer Corey Conners has earned a ticket to the Masters Tournament following his win at the Valero Texas Open on Sunday, says a PGA professional at the Listowel Golf Club.

“The whole town was buzzing,” said Brenden Parsons, who is also director of operations at the club.

Conners, ranked 196th, shot a six-under-par 66 with a final-round run that included 10 birdies at TPC San Antonio.

He finished 20 under 268 to win the tournament, two shots over American Charley Hoffman.

WATCH: Corey Conners’ 96-yard approach yields birdie putt at Valero

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“We’re incredibly proud,” said Parsons. “Not even able to put it into words right now.”

Despite the reaction, Parsons said that Conners’ win was “not a surprise by any means.”

“We knew he’d been playing really well. The missed cuts he had don’t really tell the whole story. I spoke to his coach Saturday afternoon, who said (Conners) is hitting the ball the best he’s ever hit it,” he explained.

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Parsons, who says Conners is as smart as he is talented, explained that the Listowel native’s golfing abilities were evident from the start.

“He won our club championship as a junior [and] he worked for me in the golf shop for years. All the members know him… it’s clear why he’s so popular because he’s just a really nice, young man to cheer for,” Parsons said.

While there’s no way to know whether the Listowel Golf Club will raise another PGA title winner, Parsons said there are a number of young golfers at the club looking to shoot like Conners.

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Conners will be making his second appearance at the Masters Tournament, with his first coming as an amateur in 2015.

—With files from Reuters

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